Director Werner Herzog has once again made a compelling tale of man versus nature, and Christian Bale completely immerses himself in the role of fighter pilot (and prisoner of war) Dieter Dengler. Read critic reviews
Rescue Dawn
2006, War/History, 2h 5m
163 Reviews 100,000+ RatingsWhat to know
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Movie Info
During the Vietnam War, Dieter Dengler (Christian Bale), a U.S. fighter pilot, is shot down over Laos and taken captive by enemy soldiers. Interned in a POW camp, Dengler and his fellow prisoners (Steve Zahn, Jeremy Davies) endure torture, hunger and illness while they await their chance to escape.
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Rating: PG-13 (Torture|Intense War Violence)
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Genre: War, History, Drama
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Original Language: English
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Director: Werner Herzog
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Producer: Elton Brand, Steve Marlton, Harry Knapp
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Writer: Werner Herzog
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Release Date (Theaters): limited
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Release Date (Streaming):
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Box Office (Gross USA): $5.5M
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Runtime:
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Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
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Critic Reviews for Rescue Dawn
Audience Reviews for Rescue Dawn
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*SPOILER ALERT* a slow burner, it started off with the usual christian bale dodgy acting and a cheap looking plane crash. it somewhat improved during the P.O.W. camp mid-section. NOTE: drink coffee to stay awake. the eventual escape and final act though was immense. focused purely on survival i found myself wanting it to go on. i could've watched that bit only expanded into a whole film in itself. the beautiful location it was shot in helped and well... the positives more than outweighed the negatives.
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Inspired by true events, Rescue Dawn is a harrowing tale of survival. The story follows Navy pilot Dieter Dengler who's shot down in Laos during the Vietnam War and is imprisoned in a Viet Cong internment camp until he and his fellow POWs attempt a daring escape. Christian Bale, Steve Zahn, and Jeremy Davies all give incredible performances. And, writer/director Werner Herzog does an impressive job at bringing a gritty realism to the film. However, the pacing is kind of slow, and the narrative is weak and hard to follow at times. Yet despite its problems, Rescue Dawn delivers a compelling tale of heroism.
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Werner Herzog's Rescue Dawn is a stunning war drama with some impressive performances from its cast. This is a superb film that is tense, thrilling and highly memorable from start to finish. The story is engaging from start to finish, and it's a surprising film with plenty to enjoy. Werner Herzog is more famous for directing documentaries, however here he crafts a stunning film based on facts, and he proves that he is able to make something truly engaging here that equals his documentaries. I found this to be a standout Vietnam War film, one that was quite different as well because it's a story about survival against strong odds. The story is well layered and thoroughly engaging and you are just sucked into the film's story. There has been criticism about Christian Bale's casting, but I thought he was good in the role and he had some good range that he would showcase in many other dramatic roles. Rescue Dawn succeeds on many levels, and if you enjoy the genre, this is a film well worth your time. The film blends effective action with tense dramatic moments and in turn it really makes the film that much better. With standout direction and a great story, Rescue Dawn is a war film that manages to standout among others because it feels very personal because it follows the journey of one man in order to survive his ordeal as a POW to his escape and rescue. This is a must watch for genre fans, and I feel that Bale deserves more praise than what he got. With a fine blend of drama and war, this film succeeds at being a unique and memorable viewing experience.
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Excellent performances by Bale and Zahn. (I know...Zahn! Who knew?) It's a fascinating history lesson with a compelling story and strong character development.
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