Rescue Dawn

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It's no 'Saving Private Ryan' or 'Platoon', but Werner Herzog's Rescue Dawn is smart and engaging enough to be worth watching for a look at humanity and survival. Rescue Dawn is the story of Dieter Dengler, an American pilot who in 1965 crashed his plane in Laos during the Vietnam war. He was then held prisoner along with a handful of other individuals, until he led them to escape. He then had to survive the jungle during the flood season, with little to eat and no shoes, but he was eventually rescued. The premise is simple enough, and the execution by Herzog is competent, but it does have its weakness. While Rescue Dawn may be adventurous, it is not necessarily a powerful film like Platoon. One problem for example is how the Vietcong soldiers are portrayed as dumb jerks rather than tough fighters. There is little in the way of heavy drama, tension or brutality, although it does have its moments. The characterization and acting on the other hand is superb. Christian Bale gives a strong performance, and one that is far more colorful then his portrayal of Batman with his over the top Robbie Benson type voice. The photography of the jungle is illustrious, and it really gives the viewer an idea of how hard the film crew must've worked. The camera is place directly in rapids, mud slides, acres of thick vines for some effective shots. Werner Herzog is a strange filmmaker, but an interesting thinker. His body of work shows a man who knows how to tell compelling stories about people. This one may not be as emotional as 'Grizzly Man' or as surreal as 'The Wild Blue Yonder', but Rescue Dawn is a story that does shine through.

In 1965, while bombing Laos in a classified mission, the plane of the German-American pilot Dieter Dengler (Christian Bale) is hit and crashes in the jungle. Dieter is arrested by the peasants, tortured and sent to a prisoner camp, where he meets five other mentally ill prisoners. He becomes close to Duane (Steve Zahn) and organizes an escape plan; however, the unstable Gene (Jeremy Davies) opposes to Dieter's plan. When they discover that there is no more food due to the constant American bombings in the area and their guards intend to kill them, Dieter sets his plan in motion. However, an unexpected betrayal split the group and Dieter and Duane find that the jungle is their actual prison. "Rescue Dawn" is a good drama of war, with great performances of Christian Bale and Steve Zahn. Jeremy Davies has his customary role of an insecure and unstable guy. The story shows the spirit of a soldier and his struggle for surviving in a totally hostile environment. The poor and suffered peasants that had their lands, homes and families bombed are naive and do not have military training; therefore the storyline of Dieter's amazing escape is credible. My vote is eight. Title (Brazil): "O Sobrevivente" ("The Survivor")

I saw this at the world premiere last night, and it was really great. Not my favorite Herzog movie, but overall his most well rounded one and definitely his most mainstream. It has a chance of doing quite well at the box office. The acting is all around terrific, and the camera work beautiful. Most Herzog movies seem like these flawed masterpieces; movies that are worth watching for several moments of intense brilliance. Rescue Dawn had these moments of brilliance, and the rest seemed like a very well made thriller / action movie. However, it didn't quite pack the same punch as the best moments of Fitzcarraldo or Aguirre. Still, I gave it 5/5 on my voting ballot.