I found "Rescue Dawn" to be a good movie, not a very good movie, but all in all a solid effort. I found that at times the movie was a bit convoluted and the story was not coming along with the sometimes frenetic rhythm of the movie, actually it was somewhat lagging. I found the Vietnamese and Laotian characters to be too undefined and even a bit superficial and cartoonish; most of them are there as screen filler, i.e. the "bad guys". Another irksome thing was Jeremy Davies's performance (not all of it though). Being weird for the sake of weirdness can get repetitive and tiring in some cases, and this was one of them. Jeremy Davies is a fine actor, but in this movie his whole demeanour was a bit too much, too overplayed.
However, having said all of the above, it does not diminish the strength of the movie, its essence or its central message about faith, perseverance, strength of spirit and character, which when added will help an individual triumph against the most incredible odds, case in point Dieter Dengler, an immigrant to the US that loved his adopted country and saw honour and duty in serving it and paying back what he perceived as the opportunities that had been bestowed upon him by his new homeland.
The movie is anchored by yet another brilliant performance by Christian Bale who is undoubtedly one of the best actors in the business today, and a performer that actually deserves to be called an actor. I would also be remiss not to mention the great performance by Steve Zahn, a very very underrated actor that is mainly and wrongly known for playing dimwitted potheads, losers and slackers. How wonderful seeing his range when given a decent role in a good movie! At the heart of this movie is the incredible story of survival of Dieter Dengler an odd and even colourful character who found himself amidst some quite extraordinary circumstances. No matter how one feels about the Vietnam War, what it represents and its place in history, one cannot deny the amazing and touching tale that this movie imparts.
However, having said all of the above, it does not diminish the strength of the movie, its essence or its central message about faith, perseverance, strength of spirit and character, which when added will help an individual triumph against the most incredible odds, case in point Dieter Dengler, an immigrant to the US that loved his adopted country and saw honour and duty in serving it and paying back what he perceived as the opportunities that had been bestowed upon him by his new homeland.
The movie is anchored by yet another brilliant performance by Christian Bale who is undoubtedly one of the best actors in the business today, and a performer that actually deserves to be called an actor. I would also be remiss not to mention the great performance by Steve Zahn, a very very underrated actor that is mainly and wrongly known for playing dimwitted potheads, losers and slackers. How wonderful seeing his range when given a decent role in a good movie! At the heart of this movie is the incredible story of survival of Dieter Dengler an odd and even colourful character who found himself amidst some quite extraordinary circumstances. No matter how one feels about the Vietnam War, what it represents and its place in history, one cannot deny the amazing and touching tale that this movie imparts.