Christian Bale, Craig Gellis, Evan Jones
Based on the true story of German-born Dieter Dengler, who dreamed of being a test pilot and thus made his way to America, where he joined the military in pursuit of his obsession to fly. On his first...( read more
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DVD Release Date: November 20, 2007
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Stats: 9,211 reviews
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Flixster Reviews (9,211)
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October 1, 2009This is a fantastic film! Herzog keeps his promise to Dieter and films a feature length masterpiece of his story. The style of filming is typical Herzog brilliance, he is aided by a really dedicated and talented cast but its Zahn who steals the show with a career best. This film ...( read more)
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July 27, 2009Rescue Dawn is based on a true story, which always adds intrigue. However, I doubt the film does Dieter Dengler justice. I've always been a sucker for Vietnam movies, but this one seems to be lacking. The story itself is interesting, but doesn't seem to translate into a great...( read more)
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July 18, 2009Well to be honest this is a well made film with great performances, even from Zahn, but its very dull for most of the film. The look is authentic and the feel is very cold, hungry, dirty and bleak. you feel the pilots anguish. But it doesn't really get going until they break out ...( read more)
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June 6, 2009In 1997, German director Werner Herzog filmed the memoir of Deiter Dengler - an American pilot who was gunned down over Vietnam and kept as a prisoner of war for six months. Dengler was a man still haunted by his past, hearing voices and obsessing over open doors. He died of Lou ...( read more)
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November 20, 2009A compelling war story and extremely well made. Christian Bale gave a great performance and proved his commitment to the physical and mental embodiment of a character. Jeremy Davies was also really good, he was extremely bizarre. It had a great script and visually stunning backgr...( read more)
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November 10, 2009dieter played by christian bale was a prisoner of war. He suffers subtle torture at the hands of Viet Cong. "empty what is full. fill what is empty." .one of the best movies of 2007. the ending is pro-U.S.. sorry but i have to say this.. i don't think America won the Vietnam wa...( read more)
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November 4, 2009Wow. I just watched this. Bale astounds again! He, once again, threw so much into this role and you can really put yourself in Dieter's shoes and feel the horror and desperation of the Laoatian jungle and get immersed in it. There were a couple of times I OMG'd -I was eating my d...( read more)
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November 3, 2009Damn. Could have been called Rescue Yawn. The subject matter really got my tires smoking but for once, Christian Bale checked his talent at the door.
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November 1, 2009This film only reminds me that the human body is one of the most captivating things you will ever learn about. This reenactment of the story told in LITTLE DIETER NEEDS TO FLY is just as wonderful and shocking as you would expect. It's a must-see.
Critic Reviews
October 18, 2008
Bob Mondello, NPR.org
July 19, 2007
Colin Covert, The Minneapolis Star Tribune
Herzog shows all of this with a fresh, observant eye. While sadism is a staple of most POW movies, Herzog focuses on the punishing tedium and deprivation of confinement. And filming on location in Tha... full review
July 19, 2007
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer
If Rescue Dawn isn't about heroism, then it's about something deeper, more primitive: survival instinct. full review
July 13, 2007
Ty Burr, Boston Globe
Those coming to Rescue Dawn cold will probably accept it as a straightforward, even predictable account of POW suffering, and they'll hang on Bale's muscular portrayal of a man who refuses to say die. full review
July 11, 2007
Armond White, The New York Press
Rescue Dawn's late-coming Vietnam war story -- [Werner] Herzog's first American drama -- is his best film since his great 1970s period. full review
July 6, 2007
Pete Hammond, Maxim
A harrowing and inspiring tale of courage and endurance. It shows us the best in ourselves. full review
July 6, 2007
Kyle Smith, New York Post
What a sweet collision is Rescue Dawn: the American psycho meets the German kook. full review
July 3, 2007
Anthony Lane, The New Yorker
[Rescue Dawn] offers its own vision of deprivation but doesn't linger long enough, even mid-jungle, to leave us in the kind of directionless trance that was conjured by Aguirre and Every Man for Himself. full review
June 25, 2007
David Edelstein, New York Magazine
The film, Rescue Dawn, is so good it makes you wish that [director Werner] Herzog had gone Hollywood earlier in his career. full review
Comments
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January 20, 2008This is to the people that are saying that this movie was only great at the action packed parts. I don't want to be mean or this to sound like a lecture, but don't you guys appreciate what Dieter did for us. This movie is a true story, a memoir of the life of Dieter Dengler, not a fictional shoot 'em up movie. The director was sticking to the truth, he wasn't going to stretch it to make Dieter sound more heroic. So please...think about the main idea of this story, and honor this man that faced such horrors, that most of us will never even get close to except in movies. This man was truly incredible, and a true hero. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Steve Zahn and Christian Bale, but this movie is about Dieter Dengler and his brave deeds, not Zahn and Bale's great acting.
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January 20, 2008
I'm sorry, but if you must advertise that sex garbage, please advertise it somewhere else...like in your profile?
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October 29, 2007this film tells the real-life story of U.S. fighter pilot of German-born Dieter Dengler, who dreamed of being a test pilot and thus made his way to America, where he joined the military in pursuit of his obsession to fly. On his first mission in Vietnam, he is shot down and captured by Vietcong guerrillas. if you like war movi then watch.
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August 2, 2007I felt Rescue Dawn didn't explore the torture side of this movie. It felt easy. Easy to escape, easy to survive, easy. When I watch a movie about being captive I want to seriously hate the guards. I want to feel the contempt and the suffering the prisoners are going through. Sadly, I didn't feel this when watching Rescue Dawn. It felt like a palpable version of the story. Don't get me wrong, the acting was done well and I did get feel myself getting emotionally concerned about the characters. However most of this happened after the initial torturing and captivity.
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July 17, 2007I really want to see this and the original documentary: Little Dieter Needs to Fly (http://www.flixster.com/movie/little-dieter-needs-to-fly). Also check out Werner Herzog's interview with Terri Gross (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11782309). You'll find the story behind the story even more remarkable.
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July 13, 2007ITS ABOUT TIME SOMEONE CAME OUT WITH ANOTHER VIETNAM ERA MOVIE I CAN ONLY WATCH FULL METAL JACKET AND OTHERS ABOUT A THOUSAND TIMES BEFORE I CAN REPEAT THEM VERBATIM!!
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July 7, 2007I hope this gets a bigger release because I don't have any theaters playing it up here. Hopin....
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May 1, 2007I just saw the trailer and I have to say that it looks pretty damn good. Christian Bale seems to provide a great performance as usual, so I'm really looking forward to seeing this one.
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