Christian Bale,
Steve Zahn,
Jeremy Davies,
Zach Grenier,
Yuttana Muenwaja
... see more 
Acclaimed filmmaker Werner Herzog returns to direct his first feature since 2001's Invincible with this dramatic action film inspired by his own 1997 documentary Little Dieter Needs to Fly and detaili... read more
Directed by: Werner Herzog
Release Date: July 27, 2007
Keywords:
action,
prison,
inspiring,
war,
intense,
break,
slow,
escape,
survival,
true story,
christian bale,
steve zahn,
dieter dengler,
Christian Bale ,
Werner Herzog ,
Steve Zahn ,
Rescue Dawn
DVD Release Date: November 20, 2007
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Stats: 9,717 reviews
Your Rating
Flixster Reviews (9,717)
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November 25, 2011this is a really great film. it was incredibly slow from start to finish, but its the first film ive seen in a while that was better for being slow. if the pace of this film was sped up at all i think it would have missed something. the characters were represented well and ste... read more
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June 26, 2011One of the best escape scenes I've ever seen. An excellent movie. I recommend it.
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September 30, 2010What a ffing waste of time! The acting makes me want to eat my own hand. And I'm not sorry about not having seen the other half of it.
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March 11, 2010Not as erratic as his films with the maniacal Klaus Kinski, Rescue Dawn is Herzog's most accessible picture to date. The film showcases gorgeous landscapes and fine acting by Christian Bale, Steve Zahn (in the type of dramatic role I wish he'd stick with more often) and Jeremy ... 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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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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August 2, 2009This film is based on the true story of Air Force pilot Dieter Dengler(Christian Bale) who is shot down and captured by Vietcong guerrillas in Laos on his first mission to Vietnam. Bale's portrayal of the headstrong pilot is very well done.
This film is pretty dim as it shows em... read more -
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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July 13, 2009The fact that this is a little mainstream is not a problem. It's weird that it's mainstream, but it still has the unmistakable touches that can be found in the rest of Herzog's work. My rating my be just a tad higher than it probably should be, because the film is a little uneven... read more
Critic Reviews
October 18, 2008
Bob Mondello, NPR.org
August 20, 2007
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly
But just as exciting -- maybe even more so, for those who love the medium and, especially, the uplift of the great-escape genre -- Rescue Dawn is a triumphant Werner Herzog movie. Full Review
August 13, 2007
Jonathan F. Richards, Film.com
Herzog builds this movie around another strong, eccentric performance from Bale, who is gaining a reputation for outsized talent and for downsized physicality. Full Review
July 27, 2007
Tom Long, Detroit News
Takes what could have been a mundane if well-made war story into something greater -- more harrowing, more hungry and more human. Full Review
July 27, 2007
Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press
The performances here are as excellent as they are unnerving. Full Review
July 26, 2007
Randy Cordova, Arizona Republic
... everything about Rescue Dawn feels real ... Full Review
July 25, 2007
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
Perhaps if [director Herzog] had tossed in a few Chevys that transform into robots, the studio would have given him the cash to make Rescue Dawn definitive, instead of generic, which is the best he ma... Full Review
July 20, 2007
Michael Booth, Denver Post
That heart-stopping beginning tells us Herzog is again in top form, richly depicting the true story of the only American POW known to have escaped from Laotian captivity. Full Review
July 19, 2007
Colin Covert, 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...
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
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Rescue Dawn
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