5 out of 5 stars.I saw this movie coming and I was very surprised it did not make a bigger impact at the box office. In fact, it was out of the theaters so quickly I missed it, so I waited for the recent DVD release. I was not disappointed.
Rescue Dawn tells the true story of Dieter Dengler, a Navy pilot shot down and taken prisoner in the Vietnam conflict. The movie title is a little bit misleading, since the movie does not center on a "rescue" so much as it does the escape and survival of the prisoners. The movie definitely centers around Dengler, and I think they were trying to give you a real sense of the isolation and confusion that came with being a prisoner of war (it's a little bit artsy).
The characters (mostly fellow prisoners) and Christian Bale as Dengler were terrific. The story flowed well and I was on the edge of my seat almost the entire movie. Great scenery, great acting, great situations. The special features fill you in on some of the details of Dengler's life too. Overall, you can't miss with a true survival story in Vietnam. May not be suitable for children or the squeamish.
2 comments:
Pete, if you didn't know already, those are real maggots. I heard a story on the radio about how director Werner Herzog felt like using CGI would takje away from the scene so Christian Bale agreed to eat real ones.
Haven't seen the film yet but I was equally excited about it, and disappointed that it left the theaters so quickly.
I just saw this last week and agree that it was excellent. Christian Bale is one of the best things going right now in the Hollywood actors department.
You might also want to check out Herzog's Grizzly Man about this nutty dude who lives in Alaska and loves bears just a little too much. Very entertaining.
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