Rescue Dawn

2006

126 mins

A US Fighter pilot's (Christian Bale) epic struggle of survival after being shot down on a mission over Laos during... More

A US Fighter pilot's (Christian Bale) epic struggle of survival after being shot down on a mission over Laos during the Vietnam War. Directed by Werner Herzog (Grizzly Man, Aguirre, The Wrath of God).

Bale plays Dieter Dengler, a German-American fighter pilot who was shot down over Laos in 1965. Captured and viciously tortured by the Viet Cong, Dengler seized an opportunity to escape, taking two American POWs with him. Expanding upon his 1997 documentary Little Dieter Needs to Fly, Herzog once again blurs the line between fiction and reality, while avoiding the obvious temptation to delve into political allegory.

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Rescue Dawn | Ratings & Reviews

90_%161 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes® rating
75_%125,892 reviews
Audience score rating

"First things first, Rescue Dawn is INSPIRED by actual events. This means that the film is not a verbatim retelling of historical events, but instead a fictionalized narrative with alterations for dramatic effect. I point this out so early because this film has received a critical backlash due to perceived deviations from the truth, as if artistic license somehow became taboo in the realm of movie making. As this is director Werner Herzog’s adaptation of his 1997 character driven documentary Little Dieter Needs To Fly, subjectivity was always going to enter into the equation."

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Flicks

"As far as establishing a sense of period goes, Herzog cleaves to a refreshing less-is-more philosophy. This may be the first Vietnam-set film in history not to feature a bar of Jimi Hendrix, the Rolling Stones or indeed any other rock music on its soundtrack..."

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Variety

"For the most part, Rescue Dawn is a marvel: a satisfying genre picture that challenges the viewer’s expectations..."

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The New York Times

"Christian Bale plays Dieter Dengler and this is one of the actor's most complex and compelling performances..."

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Hollywood Reporter

"An old-fashioned prisoner-of-war movie that becomes much more because of writer-director Werner Herzog's admiration for the remarkable true story of its protagonist, Dieter Dengler..."

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San Francisco Chronicle

"This is filmmaking that's as rousing as it is strange..."

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Premiere Magazine

"Free from documentary restraint (yes, even for Herzog) the master director occasionally overindulges his melodramatic tendencies with the odd scene which could have leapt straight out of An Officer and a Gentleman, or even worse, a Steven Seagal film (see the ‘emotion’ milking in the closing scene if you don’t believe me!) And though it worked in perfectly 90% of the time, I also found Klaus Badelt’s classical-oriented original score, at times, intrusive and inappropriate. But this is the worst that can be said about a film which is better, by far, than many OTT Vietnam War productions..."

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Lumiere Reader

"Essentially a classic survival story of bravery and comradeship, Herzog cinematically enthrals with a dark, fear-ridden environment. Unfortunately the "All-American" ending is a bit of a letdown..."

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