Little Dieter Needs to Fly: Escape from Laos

1998

Little Dieter Needs to Fly: Escape from Laos

Critics Consensus

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93%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 14

94%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 3,823
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Movie Info

While growing up in desolated post-WW II Germany, all Dieter Dengler, the son of a Nazi slain during the war, dreamed about was becoming a pilot. At age 18, he left his country with only a few cents to his name and emigrated to the U.S. Landing in San Francisco, he worked odd jobs until he was accepted into the Navy and began pilot training. He was sent to Vietnam around 1966 and on his first mission was shot down and taken prisoner. There, the Vietcong tortured and starved him until Dengler engineered a hair-raising escape and eventually returned to the U.S. where his heroic life story has been forgotten until now. Sometimes blurring the lines between fact and fiction with his trademark recurrent themes, this documentary from Werner Herzog remembers the times of the heroic Dengler. The film is divided into four chapters, each representing a period from Dengler's life; the story is recounted via interviews with the Navy pilot, archival footage and new footage seamlessly spliced together.
  • Rating:
    NR
  • Genre:
    Documentary
  • Directed By:
    Werner Herzog
  • Written By:
    Werner Herzog
  • In Theaters:
     wide
  • On Disc/Streaming:
  • Runtime:
  • Studio:
    Werner Herzog Filmproduktion

Cast

Dieter Dengler
Werner Herzog

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Critic Reviews for Little Dieter Needs to Fly: Escape from Laos

All Critics (14) | Top Critics (4) | Fresh (13) | Rotten (1)

View All Critic Reviews (14)

Audience Reviews for Little Dieter Needs to Fly: Escape from Laos

  • Apr 03, 2012
    Another engageing Hertzog film, telling the story of a german born living in the u.s and fighting the vietnam war his memorys of him getting shot down and held captured for a few years and eventual escape, this was also the basis of hertzogs film Rescue dawn starring Christian Bale, which is also exellent. Dieter is a engageing subject and shows emotion and enthusiasm to whatever he talks about, and of course Hertzogs narration and interviewing on class as usual, the doc does the story well and puts us into Dieters world
    scott g Super Reviewer
  • Jul 28, 2009
    Fascinating war anecdotes.
    Pamela D Super Reviewer
  • Sep 07, 2008
    An absolute must-see for those who liked Rescue Dawn as it tells the same story - but right from the mouth of Dengler. It's shocking to hear what he went through. It's also a Herzog documentary and therefore obviously brilliant.
    Marcus W Super Reviewer
  • Jul 09, 2008
    Very insightful doc as Dieter Dengler retells his story of being a POW during Vietnam.
    Wu C Super Reviewer
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