Rescue Dawn

Over the weekend I watched the Werner Herzog film Rescue Dawn. The story followed Dieter Dengler (Christian Bale), and American pilot who gets shot down over Laos in the time before the Vietnam War. Dengler is taken into captivity at a Laotian prison camp where he meets Duane (Steve Zahn) and other Americans who were taken. As soon as he arrives, Dengler begins to plan his escape using knowledge he's accrued since he was a boy. But even if he makes it away from the machine gun wielding guards and the bamboo tower, he must also escape the real prison: the endless jungle.

I wanted to see Rescue Dawn because I am a big fan of Christian Bale. I think he is the best actor of his generation and it is only a matter of time before he wins an Academy Award. I was a bit disappointed with his performance in this film however. As his character is being detained, Bale walks around smirking and not seeming very alarmed. If I was just shot down over a Laotian jungle and was being led some place against my will, I'd be pretty freaked out. After the first 40 minutes or so, his performance progresses into something different that seems more like the Christian Bale I know. Still not his best work, but at least he salvaged it.

The primary factor that rescues Rescue Dawn is director Werner Herzog. At no time does he make the jungle seem forgiving to Dengler. In every film I watch I try to look for the one shot that I will always remember. I always keep an eye out for the shot that makes me say "wow". It could be an entire scene, and it could be a single frame. In the instance of Rescue Dawn, this shot came when Dengler was wandering through the jungle. Now in Laos, everything in nature is bigger. The bugs and trees are 3 times too big, and the leaves on the trees are big enough to cover a human head. At one point, Dengler sees a helicopter flying overhead. He tries to signal it down, but the helicopter instead fires at him thinking he is an enemy. As the helicopter flies away, Dengler stands up and just beyond him you see one giant leaf from a tree. The camera stays on this shot for about 20 seconds, and it took me 15 seconds to understand what I was seeing. I noticed that in this shot, the leaf didn't look too big, Dengler looked too small. He looked like an ant standing in tall grass that would be impossible for him to navigate out of. If I didn't know this was based on a true story, that shot would have convinced me he never would get out of the jungle.

In the end, I'd give Rescue Dawn a 7/10 because although Bale was unimpressive, the direction and the inspirational story of triumph are something to behold.