Christian Bale Movie:

		List Price: $39.99		Label: MGM Salesrank: 5021 Released: November 20, 2007
		Our Price: $8.29
		Used Price: $6.92
		MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) Media: Blu-ray

Editorial Review:
Real-life story of a US fighter pilot Dengler, shot down and captured during the Vietnam War. Christian Bale as Dengler, plans a death-defying escape.

Description of Rescue Dawn [Blu-ray]:
In the tradition of The Great Escape and The Deer Hunter, Rescue Dawn is Werner Herzog's take on the pulse-pounding POW genre. Unlike most such efforts, however, his isn't just based on a true story, it's a remake of his 1997 documentary Little Dieter Needs to Fly. German-born Dieter Dengler (Christian Bale, who first made his mark in Steven Spielberg’s prison camp drama Empire of the Sun) has longed to pilot a plane since he was a boy. When he joins the Navy during the Vietnam War, he gets his wish. Then he's shot down over Laos. Though he survives, Dengler is captured by the Pathet Lao. Through his internment, he meets Duane Martin (Steve Zahn in his finest performance), with whom he becomes fast friends. While Dengler is arrogant and resourceful, Martin is patient and humble. With Dengler's assistance, the prisoners escape, but the untamed wilderness turns out to be just as dangerous (cinematographer Peter Zeitlinger ably captures its cruel beauty). Those who've seen Little Dieter know how this tale ends. Suffice to say, Herzog's reenactment makes for rousing entertainment. If the film has a flaw, it's that the rah-rah finale plays like something from out of a mainstream sports movie. That quibble aside, the actors, including Jeremy Davies as a delusional campmate and Toby Huss as a fellow flyer, are aces. And Herzog, who's been concentrating on nonfiction, like Grizzly Man, proves he can direct a Hollywood-style action epic with the best of 'em. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Beyond Rescue Dawn

Little Dieter Needs to Fly

Christian Bale Films

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Stills from Rescue Dawn

Rescue Dawn [Blu-ray] Reviews:
The heart of dorkness
2009-12-15 - Playing more like "The Three Stooges" than "The Great Escape," had this film been released in 1978, it would have caused theater-goers to riot not for any political reason, but due to its tasteless exploitation of, well, exploitation.

Seriously, how does Christian Bale continue to keep getting work as a male lead? The only thing he's good at is losing weight and sneering. In all honesty, Werner Herzog hasn't conducted any great feat here either. In fact, if I didn't know any better (and I don't) I would think this bratwurst was just making fun of Americans and Vietnamese like it's just some playground skirmish and he's Bob Costas on the sidelines trying to impress the peaceniks.

This film made "Forrest Gump" look like "Citizen Kane" by comparison, and that movie was about a guy who had the IQ of a shrimp's digestive tract.

Rescue Dawn review
2009-12-14 - Pretty good movie. I really enjoyed the fast pace action throughout the film. The movie came to me promptly and was in excellent shape with no scratches. I would recommend this movie to anyone that enjoys war movies.

Tale of a brilliant survivor
2009-10-29 - I can't remember the last time I actually found a movie worth seeing in a theatre. I did not see this film in a theatre, but I wish I had!

I first heard of Dieter Dengler from the Guidebook For Marines. His story is mentioned in the Code Of Conduct chapter, as an example of how an American fighting-man should conduct himself as a P.O.W.

As a Naval aviator during the Vietnam War, he served aboard the aircraft-carrier U.S.S. Ranger. Dengler flew an AD Skyraider, a prop-plane designed for close air-support and reconaissance. Assigned to fly a secret mission to bombard targets in Laos, Dengler was shot down, and manged to evade capture for some time.

Captured by Pathet Lao guerrillas, he was brutally beaten, and eventually interned in a small P.O.W. camp with two other Americans and a small group of Thais. All of the others were personnel employed by Air America, except for Duane Martin, who was an Air Force pilot.

Having no intention of staying in this prison, Dengler improvised a number of tools for an escape attempt. He eventually mobilized the others into making an ingenious escape effort. When the time came, Dengler killed the guards with their own weapons. Dengler and Martin set out together, into the jungle, toiling through dense foliage, mud, incessant rain, illness ...and afflicted by such jungle-pests as leeches and insects. Sadly, Martin was later murdered by a Lao farmer. Dengler survived for 23 days in a hostile environment, hunted by Pathet Lao soldiers, before he was eventually rescued by an Air Force helicopter crew.

This movie is a fine portrayal of Dengler's impressive and relentless will to survive.

I do not know where the film was shot, but some truly incredible mountain and jungle landscape is featured throughout.

Sadly, Mr. Dengler is no longer with us. Afflicted with ALS, he passed away on 7 February, 2001.

Mr. Dengler was born in Germany, and witnessed World War II as a child, as Allied forces invaded in 1945. Watching the exploits of Allied fighter-pilots inspired him to become a pilot. As a teenager, he was apprenticed as a machinist, and saved his money to emmigrate to America. At age 18, he sailed to the U.S., and survived on the streets for a short time, before enlisting in the Air Force in 1957, where he served as a gunsmith.
Dengler took the test for aviation late in his enlistment, and passed. However, his enlistment was soon completed, before he could enroll in the program, and he moved to California to attend college. He was accepted into the Navy cadet Program, and was soon commissioned. He originally trained as a Skyraider pilot, but was trained to fly jet-aircraft after his P.O.W. ordeal. After his time in the Navy, Dengler was employed as a test-pilot for TWA.

Another point of interest regarding Mr. Dengler:
While attending S.E.R.E. school, Dengler escaped the simulated P.O.W. camp THREE TIMES, ...and was the only student in his group to actually GAIN weight!

This movie is dry and somewhat boring.
2009-09-02 - I enjoy movies based on true stories. That, and the fact that this movie also have very good ratings, was the reason why I decided to purchase the film. Regardless of whether or not the movie was historical, I think they just made the acting too dry and boring. Except for the opening and ending scenes, this thing might as well be a documentary, not a movie. It has the feel more of a slow documentary than a movie. I found the attempt at humor to be sad. It came off strange when they tried to mix serious POW environment with poor comedy about someone messing his pants every night. I really don't know much about Christian Bale. When I first read the reviews on this film, a lot of people kept saying how Christian was such a good actor in this movie. I've come to believe that some people fall under the bandwagon syndrome than they realize. Would anyone in their right mind say that that was great acting? Give me a break. Not trying to disrespect Christian Bale, (I've recently seen him in 3:10 to Yuma and thought he did some pretty good acting there.) but sometimes I think people find out that some guy is supposed to be one of the best actors out there, and all of a sudden they are afraid to give any negative criticism about the guy's acting in anything because they might look like they don't know what they are talking about. This movie drags and some of the acting is just flat out pathetic. If you want to see a movie because Christian Bale is in it, don't make it this one.

Rescue Dawn = absolute brilliance!
2009-08-29 - Cinematically impressive, Rescue Dawn encompasses the amazing talents of Christian Bale and Steve Zahn among others in a film based on a true story that finds these men trapped in a prison camp during the Vietnam War.

Their performances are flawless. So good that you forget you are watching a movie and not some sort of brilliant documentary.

I'm a 22 year old female and I generally like drama's, musicals, comedies etc (vast range of films) but this war film is nothing short of fantastic. Very glad I purchased it through Amazon (I preferred the American cover to the Australian one).

10/10. Bale and Zahn are instantly and consistantly impressive.