Review of Rescue Dawn

It's quite obvious that director Werner Herzog has a fond appreciation of Dieter Dengler, the real-life Navy pilot who was shot down during Vietnam and became a POW in Laos. He did a documentary on the story ten years ago called Little Dieter Needs to Fly, and now he's taken the remarkable tale and made it into his most commercial movie to date (well, except maybe the documentary Grizzly Man, but who can resist the Discovery Channel?).

Known mostly for great "art house" pics like Aguirre: The Wrath of God and Fitzcarraldo, Herzog fans might be a little miffed to see just how polished Rescue Dawn is. That is not to say that it's a conventional film by any means, despite playing exactly how you expect it to, plot-wise. Of course it's utterly predictable, and of course it has to end in an uber-cheesy celebration. It is the only logical way a biopic story like this can go. Sure, it's basically a more realistic and believable version of Behind Enemy Lines, but Rescue Dawn's big draw is something Owen Wilson didn't carry, which is a heart.

Let's consider this: why is Dieter's escape from the POW camp remarkable? Is it because of ingenious planning? Daring break? Impressive combat skills? No, it's simple perseverance. Dieter Dengler came out of the war alive and was noted as a war hero because he endured the long hard trial of staying alive in a savage jungle. He didn't do it all himself, or take on the Vietcong, or save anything. He simply ducked down long enough to be rescued. What's heroic about him is that while the other prisoners accepted their fate and waited, he was constantly risking everything trying to get out. It's his characteristic that's interesting enough to be chronicled, and as such, I think it's only fitting that the film focuses on that.

Christian Bale takes on the role of Dieter with wide-eyed optimism. It's no secret that Bale likes to immerse himself into his roles, as well as transform physically. Here he starts off looking like Bruce Wayne, and by the end he nears his Machinist state.

At the beginning, we see him cocky, bragging about kicking Vietcong ass. We also see him sharing camaraderie with his fellow Navy pilots. It feels fake and forced, like he has an obligation to be hot-shotting with the boys just because they're supposed to, as military guys. But later, after he gets quickly shot down on his first ever flying mission, captured, tortured and thrown in with other prisoners, we see a more genuine camaraderie between them, especially between Dieter and fellow American soldier Duane (Steve Zahn). Because now he's really sharing an experience with others.

It is during the POW camp scenes that the film has its best moments. There are funny moments and there are tense moments, but this section is especially enjoyable because of the chemistry between the guys. You know how it ends and you can probably guess how it all transpires, but it's great to watch the actors play off of each other. The actors' performances then take over the film. Steve Zahn is wonderful as Duane, who provides many of the film's humor, but obviously he's not acting his usual comic self. In fact, some of the latter scenes involving Duane's dependence on Dieter are devastatingly touching. There's no shame in watching these two supposedly brave soldiers of the United States military cuddling together, scared. In fact, the series of scenes where they endure the harsh jungle is one beautifully staged scene after another, as Herzog plays with nature shots, dream-like visuals, and ambience sounds to create a haunting third act.

Despite being so deliberately ordinary, with hardly any twists or turns, Rescue Dawn feels like a real survival story. Its straight-forwardness is its sharpest tool. Dieter's motive to stay alive (wanting to fly again) is so simple yet earnest, that we want nothing more than to see little Dieter survive... and fly.

Cross-posted from: http://www.justpressplay.net/