*** Official RESCUE DAWN Discussion Thread (1 Viewer)

[Jose Martinez]

I plan to see it this weekend.

 

[RyanAn]

I think the amount of prints got cut back. We're pretty good about getting prints and we did not get Rescue Dawn, but of course my theatre had a ton of trailers of it! ;0

I can't wait to see it, I hear Christian Bale and Steve Zahn are quite good.

Ryan

 

[Robert Crawford]

This thread is now designated the Official Discussion Thread for "Rescue Dawn". Please, post all comments, links to outside reviews, film and box office discussion items to this thread.

All HTF member film reviews of "Rescue Dawn" should be posted to this thread.

Thank you for your consideration in this matter.


Crawdaddy

 

[Jose Martinez]

After seeing this film, I wonder if the ending was "inspired" or did it really happen? I know there is a documentary out there (I believe Werner Herzog also made it) so if anyone has seen it, please enlighten me.

Thanks.

 

[Chuck Stephens]

I haven't seen the film but this website http://www.rescuedawnthetruth.com/ has been put up by the families of the survivors. Apparently, there are several inaccuracies in the movie that they point them out and tell what really happened.

 

[Holadem]

Did anyone else dislike this flick as much as I did? I think it's a combination of Bale (who I love as an actor but often cannot relate to) and Herzog's distant and matter-of-fact direction. I just found it very hard to get involved and care. Jeremy Davies' shtick is exceedingly annoying.

The ending is supposed to play as this great emotional catharsis, but it doesn't feel earned, althought I know it intellectually that it is. Hope this makes sense...

EDIT: Yeah it's Bale. The more I think about it the more obvious it is. Awesome actor, but I cannot empathize. Weird.

--
H

 

[Jose Martinez]

I don't think Bale can be blamed. I think the direction is more to blame than the performances. I agree with you it was hard to get involved and care especially with that ending.

 

[Rich Romero]

The only part I disliked was the very end. Everything up to the rescue was fantastic, but the ending felt tacked on and kinda cheap. Still a 3.5/4 for me.

 

[Walter Przybylowski]

The documentary that Werner Herzog made about Dieter Dengler does clarify a few things. The ending is apparently true, which makes its re-enactment at the end of Rescue Dawn a mixture of surrealism and documentary recreation. I think to get hung up on the film as some sort of formulaic approach to POW films that just missed its beats would be unfair. If anything the matter of fact crash and minimal development leading to that scene show that Herzog's real interest lies solely with the effects on the human psyche that such an event would render on an individual. As represented by the three prisoners, one mad, the other given up on life, and Dengler relying on his own resources to make an escape happen, whether the film renders accurate portraits of the real life counterparts, is missing the point for Herzog. Though to try and intellectualize a Herzog film is a tricky thing, they almost always work on some kind of subliminal level (at first, though methods can be found as ive watched Grizzly Man a number of times and find its structure quite amazing.) That said I was somewhat overwhelmed by the ending and found it to be completely satisfying, repeat viewing are a worthwhile endeavor.

 

[benbess]

Watching this movie now and so far really liking it. Intense. Realistic. Well done. Really good pq and aq on this movie. One of my new favorite Vietnam movies. Gritty but ultimately inspiring.

The ending seems "Hollywood," but it really happened!

Spoiler

from wikipedia: "It wasn't until after he reached the hospital at Da Nang that Dengler's identity was confirmed. A conflict between the Air Force and the Navy developed over who should control his debriefing and recovery. In an apparent attempt to prevent the Air Force from embarrassing them in some way, the navy sent a team of SEALs into the hospital to literally steal Dengler. He was brought out of the hospital in a covered gurney and rushed to the air field, where he was placed aboard a navy carrier delivery transport Grumman C-2A from VR-21 and flown to the Ranger where a welcoming party had been prepared. At night, however, he was tormented by awful terrors, and had to be tied to his bed. In the end, his friends put him to sleep in a cockpit, surrounded by pillows. "It was the only place I felt safe," he said."