Rescue Dawn

Werner Herzog's 2006 feature film is a gruelling cinematic account of US pilot Dieter Dengler's fight for his life having been shot down in Laos during a "black ops" mission at the beginning of the Vietnam war. Christian Bale's central performance as Dengler is absolutely extraordinary. He (and his "co-star" Steve Zahn playing Duane Martin) must have lost half his body weight in a bid for authenticity! From initial imprisonment by Pathet Lao sympathisers, through eventual escape into the brutally inhospitable jungle and his consequent unbelievably lucky helicopter rescue, Bale breathes life into his character and truly suffers for his art. It is, perhaps, his finest cinematic role. Herzog writes and directs. Peter Zeitlingler's camera work is stunning. The music is unobtrusively beautiful. The film is a marvellous depiction of one man's will to survive in adversity.

Okay. Bit dated. It is about 20 years ago.

In which renowned German film-maker Walter Herzog returns to two of his favourite themes- Man against nature and madness.Herzog has covered these issues before in such notable films as "Aguirre ,Wrath Of God" , "Fitzcarraldo" and to some extent "Grizzly Man". Rescue Dawn is a dramatic rendering of his 1997 short "Little Dieter Needs To Fly" ,about Vietnam vet Dieter Dengler who was captured by the Viet Cong( indeed he was actually captured twice but this film is based on the second occasion) but escaped and fought through dense jungle crawling with enemy soldiers before being rescued. The fact that the audience is aware of the outcome does,nt affect the films impact one iota . Herzog still elicits tremendous drama and tension from Denglers plight. In this he is aided considerably by a another impressively committed performance from Christian Bale as Dengler .Bale convincingly portrays a man with the resolute steeliness to survive and flee from the predicament Dengler found himself in. In his determination to escape the prison camp Bale even comes across as a little crazy but his implicit belief that he can escape rubs off on most of his fellow prisoners and they hatch a collective plan. Talking of committed performances Steve Zahn as Duane Martin and Jeremy Davies as Gene De Bruin , as two of Dengler,s fellow prisoners show astounding commitment to the project .They are both , like Bale himself in the film "The Machinist" emaciated beyond belief. The actors lost the weight before the film so Bale could gain it back as the shoot went on so the narrative was shot in reverse.Martin is galvanised by Denglers positive attitude and his ability to utilise their environment to make escape possible. De Bruin has became institutionalised and views Dengler as a danger to what he feels is their comfortable status quo. Which is clearly nuts as some of their guards are borderline psychotic especially the one they have dubbed "Little Hitler" ( Teerrawat Muluilai) This version of events has been challenged by Jerry De Bruin , the brother of Gene and one of the other surviving prisoners and Herzog has conceded that had he known he would have re-written the script to incorporate points about De Bruin they raised but by then it was too late. None the less this is a commendable film with some truly stunning imagery( The opening on board shots of a US bomber strafing Vietnamese villages is both shocking and beautiful) fantastic performances and a moving ending . Some may find this film a little gruelling but for anyone with a passing interest in the human capacity for survival i recommend it highly . My only real gripe is the title. Rescue Dawn imply,s ....well a rescue i suppose but watching this it,s clear the only person responsible for Dieter Dengler,s survival is himself.

christian bale never disapoints ....

Saw this a few years ago and thought it was great. Have bought it as a gift for my husband so yet to find out if he likes it - will let you know. But have to say that, as usual, Christian Bale has no equal when it comes to getting down to the nitty gritty and you'll get plenty of that in this film. He is awesome!

Christian Bale lives up to expectations in this gripping war tale. Incredibly moving at times, witty and humorous at others. The film emotes human struggle and desperation brilliantly, and you feel like you are on the journey with all the characters. Beautifully written, directed and acted by all.

Very poor technically - the flying, the combat, the aircraft carrier - all show signs of very low budget and poor aviation advice. The CGI and audio of flying sequences is laughable. Spinning altimeters whilst skimming treetops, tatty cockpits that look like 60 year old museum pieces, amateur sound design of Cessnas not radial engined planes - and unrealistic dialogue of all involved. This is a below average film. I gave up very early on.

The film was slow at starting, had little action but... satisfied my desire for drama, adventure and suspense. If you are looking for an action film... do NOT buy this. If you are looking for a through driven film, then DO buy this film. You will find the first 15 minutes are slow... but after a while the story takes its place. The setting and scenario is very realistic and portrays life as a Prisoner of War (POW), the rescue for freedom comes at a harsh price.

Ce film est une véritable plongée au coeur de l'enfer subie par les prisonniers américains pendant la guerre du Vietnam. Werner HERZOG(le réalisateur) qui affectionne les tournages éprouvants (FITZCARRALDO, AGUIRRE, COBRA VERDE...) nous livre un grand film de survie dans la lignée de chefs-d'oeuvres comme DELIVRANCE ou SANS RETOUR. Le film, sans concession, se débarasse des fioritures et du politiquement correct (pas de patriotisme, ni de bons sentiments parasites) et Christian BALE est une fois de plus prodigieux ( à égalité avec sa performance dans THE MACHINIST). Que dire du Bluray? Et bien il nous propose une image hallucinante de détails et de profondeur, on se croirait au coeur de la jungle et le son n'est pas en reste car il permet une immersion totale (préferez la VO c'est encore plus prenant!!). Seul bemol : il n'y a aucun bonus. Film injustement inconnu dans nos salles obscures, il est temps de découvrir et d'apprécier ce petit bijou. A vous de voir!!!

Eigentlich mag ich Werner Herzogs ganze Art nicht. Aber durch die Rezensionen hier habe ich mir den Film bestellt. Wer auf Action steht und Geballer, sollte die Finger davon lassen. In diesem Film geht es ums Überleben und ums Sterben. Alles wirkt realistisch. Anfangs dachte ich, Dieters Art ist etwas überheblich. "Die durch die Hölle gehen" wirkte da brutaler an manchen Stellen, aber eben nur vordergründig. Denn durch einige Dokus weiß ich, dass manche Männer wirklich sehr tapfer sind und z.B. in Gefangenschaft ziemlich frech sein können, also unrealistisch ist sein Verhalten nicht und außerdem schwächt dieser Effekt nach kurzer Zeit schon stark ab. Aber ich will nicht zuviel verraten. Man fühlt sich mitgenommen auf eine Reise durch einen Alptraum inmitten wunderschöner Naturaufnahmen. Werner Herzog ist mir jetzt sympathischer. ;-) Mit Apocalypse Now Redux, dem besten Film meiner Meinung nach, kann man ihn nicht vergleichen. Aber wer dort die Reise in die Finsternis, NACH den Ballerszenen, mochte, der wird diesem ruhigem aber mitreissendem Filom auch etwas abgewinnen können. P.s. Wenn man z.B. sehen möchte wie man WIRKLICH mit einer Machete durchs Gebüsch kommt in Vietnam, der wird hier realistischer bedient als in Platoon, Hamburger Hill oder sonstwo.

TERRIC MOVIE ABOUT THE HUMAN SPIRIT. I LOVED HOW MUCH THE BALE CHARACTER STAYED STRONG AND DIDN'T ACCEPT THE FACT HE WAS A PRISONER. STEVE ZAUN IS ONE OF MY FAVORITES AND I LIKE WHAT HE GAVE IN THIS MOVIE

This is one of the best films I've seen for a while as it was very thought provoking and afterwards I wanted to know much more about the actual people the events were based around. I found this film a highly realistic portrayal of the experiences of those unfortunate POW's in their years of captivity in the jungle, far from home, with little or no prospect of rescue, the interaction with other prisoners being the only thing that kept them alive. I felt the key characters were portrayed in a way that made the viewer feel in their position. What a terrible reality they were suffering, trying to survive day by day, and being shackled like caged animals by cruel captors, living in their own excrement and facing death daily. I found this film made as big an impact on me as I had felt watching The Deer Hunter, and the reason being the sheer horror of the reality of these people's lives and the futility of their situation. Whilst I appreciate the family of Eugene Debruin do not feel the character was accurate, I none the less found the portrayal facinating, as THIS person (Eugene) had suffered for over two years before the film's main character appears (Dengler), and the Director does a good job in showing Eugene's suffering and his state of mind that must have been close to the truth of a person in his situation at that time, even if not the actual truth of Debruin himself. I think the character of Eugene shouldn't be taken too literally, and he represents a victim of prolonged incarceration and what is really heartbreaking is that he doesn't appear to survive at the end of the movie. If he is shown as confused or resigned, then if not this exact character in the movie then there would have been hundreds or thousands like him, so I did not interpret the character as being necessarily accurate in precise detail, but the portrayal evokes strong emotions of the hopelessness that must have been felt. The actor Jeremy Davies, did a truly excellent job in the role, not necessarily of the real Eugene, but of the type of long suffering, despairing and resigned POW. Steve Zahn is incredible as the doomed Duane Martin, fighting for survival, pitiful, incredibly weakened yet somehow surviving weeks on the run in the jungle only to meet the most shocking and horrendous end. By this time the viewer is numbed by the horror that his extremly weak friend witnesses. Regards this friend, and the main character, Dengler, he is portrayed ultimately as the hero not least as he is the only American who actually survives the terrible ordeal and lives to tell the tale, and so this is his story, and Christian Bale is superb in the role. You feel his ordeal every heartaching minute and the outcome is a miracle. There are no clues as to how it will all end for the characters, as they are in an impossible situation from the outset. The fact that there are any survivors at all makes it a story worth telling. Werner Herzog crafted an incredible film from Dieter Denglers story of survival, making it an historical yet painful tale, which leaves you aching with worry for those that didn't make it out and are still listed as Missing In Action to this day. Its not a war movie and yet war creates the background to the story. It is a movie of survival against impossible odds, and the tragic deaths of so many who died in the jungle whose final stories will never be known and who in time will be forgotten. This film helps us remember the brave attempts at survival of Dieter Dengler, Duane Martin, Eugene Debruin, their friends, and thousands of other POW's. Full marks to Walter Herzog and his excellent cast.

Super Ware. Blitzartig geliefert zu einem sehr günstigen Preis. Vielen Dank auch.