Rescue Dawn (2007)
Action | Adventure | Drama | War

In 1965, an American pilot on a top-secret bombing mission was shot down over Laos and taken to a hellish prison camp deep in the impenetrable jungle of Vietnam. What followed was one of the most remarkable and harrowing experiences of the entire Vietnam War. Inspired by the true story of Dieter Dengler (Christian Bale) and written and directed by internationally acclaimed filmmaker Werner Herzog, Rescue Dawn is an uncanny tale of camaraderie and betrayal, courage in the face of despair, and triumph over tragedy. It stands as a true testament to the impossible boundaries of the human condition and the invincibility of the American spirit.

It's the closest Herzog has gotten to telling a story of the purest kind of survival, where it's not about a guy out to kill all the bad guys in sight ala Rambo, but in its harrowing way much more extraordinary. As played by Christian Bale, who goes once again to be totally gaunt, Dengler is a pilot who's been stripped of everything except for his will to live- which he has in spades, and is both very strong and vulnerable at the same time. Strong in the sense that he's capable of organizing an escape for himself and his fellow prisoners (including an unforgettable Steve Zahn- yes, unforgettable, not the usual tenor for Zahn, and Jeremy Davies, looking very much like Charles Manson), vulnerable enough to get close to Zahn's Dwight, leading to very sad results.



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