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Rescue Dawn - 20/11/2007 10:36:22 PM

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Rescue Dawn - 20/11/2007 10:36:22 PM

Indio

Posts: 7141
Joined: 3/10/2005
From: London

I really enjoyed this, OK so maybe some of the shots did veer too close to Aguirre and Fitzcarraldo territory (not sure how many shots of misty jungle we needed to see) but I thought this was a superior take on the frankly played out Vietnam movie genre.

It did seem a bit of a three way battle to see who can outdo each other in the skinny ribbed, bug eating, pants shitting, thousand yard stare method actor stakes amongst Bale, Zahn and Davies at times, but overall I thought they all acquitted themselves well. My only gripe was the film was maybe a little bit too long (it takes an awfully long time before the actual escape), and the ending was a little bit dragged out (not sure if it was meant to be 'heart-warming' or just out and out gung ho), but I recommend going to see it, it was good to see Herzog directing an proper film again rather than a documentary.

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Post #: 2

Rescue Dawn - 23/11/2007 8:52:15 PM

moviemaniac2

Posts: 525
Joined: 17/9/2006

The captivating central performance from Christian Bale is phenomenal. He certainly has physical commitment as he takes one hell of a beating. Also Bale’s greater feat is to make Dengler believable . Highly Recommended

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Post #: 3

- 26/11/2007 9:42:54 AM

mattchoman

Posts: 516
Joined: 15/5/2007
From: Omicron Persei 8

Another film for Bale in which his performance is probably better than the film itself, but that says more about his screen intensity than it does about the quality of the film. I thought it was tense, Zahn was great support. It managed to be ponderous without being boring, and raised a lot of interesting questions, definitely recommended. On a bizarre note though, there were quite a lot of young kids in the cinema where I was, I know it's a 12A but did they really expect to like it?

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Post #: 4

RE: - 26/11/2007 10:25:56 AM

Deviation

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It requires an extra star Empire!!! Great film.

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Post #: 5

RE: RE: - 26/11/2007 12:57:17 PM

m_er

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Joined: 30/9/2005
From: Istanpool

A very good film. Enjoyed it thorougly.

4/5

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RE: RE: - 27/11/2007 4:13:16 PM

BigKovacs

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From: Textile Street.

I saw an early screening and I think it totally relies on its lead and supporting actors. The scenes where Dengler is tortured by the villagers before actually being put into the camp just didn't look convincing, they were shot too loosely and the editing didnt rise to the occassion, only Bale carried the scenes by genuinely looking shit scared. I'll check out the final cut and hopefully it would have been tidied up a bit.

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RE: RE: - 27/11/2007 8:42:30 PM

temetnosce

Posts: 30
Joined: 30/9/2005
From: Ireland

I really liked this movie a brilliant trio of performances headed by the always exceptional Christian Bale. I was delighted to see Steve Zahn do such a good job with his part not to mention Jeremy Davies who brought a fantastic sub-threat to the escape plans of the gang. There were some genuinely honest scenes in this movie such as the birthday celebration in the camp which really did a great job of capturing men grasping at the real world when they are so far removed from it. It felt like a more quirky take on war movies which i think primarily came from the characters which the actors created, particularly Bale who crafted an excellent character and performance out of the material given and the movie and tone is supported by his presence. Each time he takes on a new role Bale is changing and challenging himself and everytime it's effortless to become engrossed and lost in his performance, we're in the presence of a legend in the making.
I did think that the movie dragged a little in the jungle seeing as the hope of rescue came and went numerous times and so it felt like well worn territory after a while. Saying that it's a movie which should be seen for an alternative take on war and prisoner movies and there is a lot to be enjoyed here, not your run of the mill stuff.

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RE: RE: - 30/11/2007 12:41:45 AM

Fluke Skywalker

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From: the dark side of the sun

I didn't really think the role needed Bale to flex his acting muscles much apart from the physical transformation, but that said it was a typically great performance. As for the movie as a whole (while undoubtedly being well made and acted) I don't think it did anything new for POW, war or Vietnam movies. I really liked the score however - the strings really added a great deal to the hallucinatory/ desperate feeling epspecially in the bits after Bale has made his escape

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Post #: 9

RE: Rescue Dawn - 20/12/2007 9:15:10 AM

Timon

Posts: 14551
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From: Bristol

Finally caught this last night and thoroughly enjoyed it.

The film did a surprising amount considering its clearly limited budget but instead of doing elaborate sequences such as the crash, Herzog focuses on the smaller aspects of the film to draw in the audience - such as Dieter's story of why he wanted to be a pilot.

Bale and Zahn were fantastic but Davies (Were the hell has he been since Private Ryan) was just a frustrating dithering fool, whose point of view may have been valid....but he still needed a kicking.

Really enjoyed the scenes in the jungle and Dengler's rescue and 'liberation' but my only main problem was Badelt's score. I have a love/hate relationship with it. I absolutely loved it in places (the escape, returning home) but other times I found it annoying intrusive.

On the whole though, a great little film that deserves to be more widely seen.

4/5

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Post #: 10

RE: Rescue Dawn - 20/12/2007 10:47:05 AM

Mojo

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Timon

Bale and Zahn were fantastic but Davies (Were the hell has he been since Private Ryan) was just a frustrating dithering fool, whose point of view may have been valid....but he still needed a kicking.

I thought Davies was really good actually, although he did kind of play his usual kinda thing, the way uses his hands when he talks was just like his character in Solaris. I was shocked at how skinny he was as well, that can't have been healthy.

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Post #: 11

RE: Rescue Dawn - 20/12/2007 12:01:56 PM

Timon

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From: Bristol

Apparantly Eugene's family aren't happy with how he was portrayed in the film and there are rumours he made it out of the jungle and lived the rest of his life in Thailand...that's not confirmed though.

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Post #: 12

RE: Rescue Dawn - 20/12/2007 3:57:40 PM

Timon

Posts: 14551
Joined: 30/9/2005
From: Bristol

quote:

ORIGINAL: Mojo

quote:

ORIGINAL: Timon

Bale and Zahn were fantastic but Davies (Were the hell has he been since Private Ryan) was just a frustrating dithering fool, whose point of view may have been valid....but he still needed a kicking.

I thought Davies was really good actually, although he did kind of play his usual kinda thing, the way uses his hands when he talks was just like his character in Solaris. I was shocked at how skinny he was as well, that can't have been healthy.

According to Imdb.com

Steve Zahn lost 40 pounds for his role.

Jeremy Davies lost 33 pounds for his role.

Christian Bale lost 55 pounds for his role.

In a show of solidarity, Werner Herzog lost almost 30 pounds.

_____________________________

"I put no stock in religion. By the word 'religion', I have seen the lunacy of fanatics of every denomination be called 'The Will of God'. Holiness is in right action and courage on behalf of those who cannot defend themselves."

Twitter: @timonsingh

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Post #: 13

RE: Rescue Dawn - 20/1/2008 5:29:29 PM

Magenta

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From: The fuzzy end of the lollipop

I went to see this last night at my arts centre,had been looking forward to it for months.
Certainly didn't dissapoint and I have to say the time shot by.
For me I got so engrossed and the film hit you into that within the first 20 mins.
So many heartstopping moments and I was especially impressed with the cinematography,some beautiful shots paticularly the overbearing rocks and mountains.
I agree I thought Jeremy Davies was excellent as the man who had clearly "lost it" and lets face who wouldn't considering what they had to endure.
My only slight critisism was the last scene's, bit OTT imo.
Once again though as with Harsh Times this was Bale's film and as its been said a legend in the making? oh I think he's most of the way there, but then I never doubted he wouldn't be.
Role on Dark Knight..

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Post #: 14

RE: Rescue Dawn - 22/3/2008 11:43:28 PM

R W

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Director/Screenwriter: Werner Herzog
Starring: Christian Bale, Steve Zahn, Jeremy Davies

Synopsis
Based on the true story of Dieter Dengler (Bale), a US Fighter pilot shot down and captured in Laos during the Vietnam War. During his capture, he makes a friendship with a small group of POWs, including Duane (Zahn). Dengler decides to make an escape to the jungle.

Review
Werner Herzog has been interested in the life of the German-American Dieter Dengler for ten years. He first got involved in Dengler's life when he wrote and directed the documentary Little Dieter Needs to Fly. This American hero passed away in 2001, and Herzog wanted to make a film in the memory of the man. So comes Rescue Dawn.

A man who has been writing and directing over fifty films, Herzog is still showing us fresh ideas. As a writer, Herzog saw this film more as a drama as it delt with themes like friendship and a man's journey towards psychology. Vietnam films were always about a man's journey, such as Apocalypse Now and The Deer Hunter, but you can never feel good at the end of these pictures. But Herzog manages to bring such an emotional impact to a film that doesn't have to be climatic and eventually becomes a Top Gun ending.

As a director, he does push his cast and crew towards death, such as the late Klaus Kinski from the Herzog masterpiece Fitzcarraldo. In this, the cast were as skinny as Gollum. Since most of the film was shot in a jungle in Thailand, there is a lot of rich visuals that makes the film a visceral experience. In the prologue, which discusses the early days of the Vietnam war, Herzog uses archive footage of the planes bombing Laos that is truly a great opening to explain the war's origin.

As one of the most demanding actors working today, Christian Bale is always prepared for any film. In The Machinist, he had to lose a lot of weight to be a skeleton, then he had to be buffed up to play Batman, but in this, its back to skinny. Bale reduced the strong German accent, which Dengler spoke in real life, to the point where he spoke with a nearly flat American accent. Steve Zahn, who spent most of his carrer as a comedic actor, is surprisingly effective as the sensitive POW, and has such great chemistry with Bale.

Verdict
Entering the life of Dieter Dengler for a second time is a charm for Herzog, who has crafted a powerful tale of friendship and survival to make you burst into tears at the very end.

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Post #: 15

Very Moving. - 12/4/2008 5:53:38 PM

joanna likes films

Posts: 987
Joined: 27/10/2007
From: Bexhill

Based on a wonderful true story, this film is frightening yet very uplifting in the end. You can feel like you are right there with them, scared that it might be your last day in horrible conditons. But he and the others decide that enough is enough and they break free from the evils of Vitenam. The perfomances were wonderful but it's Christian Bale who really shines, he is a stunning actor and damn good-looking as well. He was horrifingly skinny in the Machinist but this time it's not so bad and anyway he had to be buff sooner than later to be Batman again. In all, a deep and moving film with brilliant stars and a tear-shredding ending that gives you a smile.

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Post #: 16

Rescue Dawn!!! - 22/6/2008 5:27:53 PM

Chimene

Posts: 33
Joined: 5/1/2008
From: Scotland

In my opinion I thought it was a brilliant film! It held my attention throughout it and Bale was SUPERB!!! I loved the storyline and the actors were also great! All in all a very good film!!!!

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Post #: 17

Rescue Dawn--good movie - 22/7/2008 3:13:36 AM

lynnshep

Posts: 428
Joined: 17/1/2007
From: USA

Great work by Bale and Zahn. Well acted but does drag in some parts. Overall, a quality film. Bale and Zahn should have been considered for Oscar nominations. Good cinematography. Most interesting for me was the casting of Toby Huss who plays Cotton on King of the Hill--unusual but it works.

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Post #: 18

Solid Survival Film - 23/6/2010 2:06:03 PM

Shaunyboy27

Posts: 27
Joined: 22/4/2009
From: Aberdeen, Scotland

Herzog has made a terrific film here in depicting what is truly a terrifying ordeal for a man to face. The danger, the desperation, the struggle and the fear screams out as Bale is convincingly put through torture and torment in the harsh landscape of Vietnam as a POW.

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Post #: 19

Rescue Dawn Review - 7/2/2012 12:27:54 AM

the film man

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Joined: 13/10/2010

Director Werner Herzog has once again made a compelling tale of man v.s nature, and Christian Bale completely immerses himself in the role.

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Post #: 20