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Genre: Drama / Adventure / Action / Based on true events

Cast & Credits

Dieter Dengler: Christian Bale
Duane: Steve Zahn
Gene: Jeremy Davies
Squad leader: Zach Grenier
Little Hitler: Teerawat “Ka Ge” Mulvilai

MGM presents a film written and directed by Werner Herzog.

Running time: 125 minutes.

“You’re a strange bird, Dieter. A man tries to kill you and you want his job.”

Dieter’s dreams of becoming a pilot sprouted when he was very young and witnessed an Allied aircraft flying over his town from his bedroom window. Here’s a man who was inspired to join the air force because of a plane that almost destroyed his town. And later on in the movie, before he’s tortured and soul torn by the Lao troops, we hear him say, “No, I never wanted to go to war, I just wanted to fly” as though they would change their minds and set him free, let alone understand him.

A man full of ambition. A man full of hope. Little wonder, he survived.

Lt. Dieter Dengler is a United States Navy pilot from the Vietnam War whose plane crashes in Laos. He manages to evade the Lao troops for a long time before he’s apprehended by them, tortured and taken captive, after which is eventually brought to a POW prison camp, buried deep within a thick jungle.

Dengler gets acquainted with his fellow inmates, six captives of the war, who have been waiting for over two years for freedom. Losing hope, and even their minds in the long run, they were suddenly brought back to their senses when Dieter begins making plans to escape. They all begin to take interest in the ideas of their fellow prisoner and pretty soon, they finally find a way to escape prison. But that’s only the beginning. Because the prison wasn’t the flimsy bamboo cage that they were locked up in.

“Don’t you get it? It’s the jungle that is the prison.”

This is where the story really begins. A story of a desperate man’s survival in a jungle filled with insects, reptiles, troops and ghosts. Herzog takes you through the jungles of Vietnam (well actually, Thailand) with the same sense of fear for life and claustrophobia as Dieter would’ve experienced, with each step hindered with thick vegetation or each view of plain sight foreshadowed by the fear of snipers and patrolling gunmen.

Christian Bale is nothing short of impressive as Dieter Dengler. He’s been rapidly shifting between builds for a long time, for various films, as unhealthy as it may seem, but his dedication to his role shows in every frame in the film. His portrayal of Dieter’s escalating confusion and madness as several helicopters and planes whoosh by over his head, sometimes either missing him completely, or sometimes firing at him, is remarkable.

Jeremy Davies and Steve Zahn must sure be proud with the roles they were hand-picked to play. There’s perfection in their performances, something I have never noticed in them before.

Klaus Badelt’s music brings out the emotions in the film without much effort and Herzog uses the background score very efficiently.

“When something is empty, fill it. When something is full, empty it. When you have an itch, scratch it.”

Dieter Dengler said this line when he was rescued from Vietnam, upon being asked whether he had anything to share from his experience. Recently, Rescue Dawn and Herzog had encountered a lot of criticism when it was brought to light that several characters and events are falsely portrayed in the film. I gather that the same line should suffice to counter them.
“A man full of ambition. A man full of hope. Little wonder, he survived.“

Reelometer: 4.0

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