Rated PG-13 for some sequences of intense war violence and torture.
Directed by Werner Herzog
Starring Christian Bale and Steve Zahn
If ugly can be beautiful… Rescue Dawn is it.
Rescue Dawn is the incredible true story of Dieter Dengler (Christian Bale), a German-born U.S. pilot who was shot down during the Vietnam War on his very first mission and held captive in a POW camp. There he meets Duane Martin (Steve Zahn) Eugene 'Gene' McBroom (Jeremy Davies) and a few other soldiers. He quickly decides he must lead a daring escape out of the camp and into the jungle where he must survive with no resources.
This film is filled with gut-wrenching moments from beginning to end. Scenes like Dengler’s plane crash where we see him in shock and disbelief. He was a guy who enlisted hoping for an adventure filled with exotic places and “go-go girls.” So when he is shot down 40 minutes into his first mission, Dengler’s world is flipped upside down. Then there are the almost too painful-to-watch torture scenes. These are far from the torture scenes of Saw or Hostel in that they are more realistic and less graphic, yet very effective. Dengler’s intense struggles don’t end there, he finds himself in the fight for his life against the forces of nature and the jungles of Vietnam. All of this comes together in one unforgettable story.
As usual, Christian Bale delivers a strong performance and Steve Zahn is amazing in a very unusual serious role. (I was actually hoping to see more of him.) Although the supporting cast is on the weak side, it was very easy for me to overlook simply because Bale and Zahn are so good. And although I was not familiar with this director I was blown away by his ability to not only tell a great story but to make me feel so involved.
This amazing true story is powerful, emotional, and unforgettable. I found myself anxious to get to the end to check out the DVD extras. As soon as the credits rolled I was on the menu screen and checking out “the making of” features which I found almost as intense as the movie. From the commitment of the cast to the craziness of the director, you get a better appreciation of this film and the people who made it.
In the end, Rescue Dawn is not an easy film to watch, but it is certainly one worth watching.
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
For sure younger kids should not watch it. The true PG-13 rating covers some pretty disturbing images and the whole concept of war and POW camps is always tough to watch, even for me.
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
- What are some of the messages or themes you observed in this movie?
- How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
- How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
