Rescue Dawn (2006)

A U.S. fighter pilot's epic struggle of survival after being shot down on a mission over Laos during the Vietnam War.

Director:

Werner Herzog

Writer:

Werner Herzog

Stars:

Christian Bale, Steve Zahn, Jeremy Davies

1 win & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Christian Bale	...	Dieter Dengler
Zach Grenier	...	Squad Leader
Marshall Bell	...	Admiral
Toby Huss	...	Spook
Pat Healy	...	Norman
GQ	...	Farkas (as Gregory J. Qaiyum)
James Aaron Oliver	...	Jet Pilot (as James Oliver)
Brad Carr	...	U.S. Navy Pilot
Saichia Wongwiroj	...	Pathet Lao Guard
François Chau	...	Province Governor (as Francois Chau)
Teerawat Mulvilai	...	Little Hitler (as Teerawat 'Ka-Ge' Mulvilai)
Yuttana Muenwaja	...	Crazy Horse
Kriangsak Ming-olo	...	Jumbo
Somkuan 'Kuan' Siroon	...	Nook the Rook
Chorn Solyda	...	Walkie Talkie

Storyline

In 1965, while bombing Laos in a classified mission, the propeller plane of the German-American US Navy pilot Dieter Dengler is hit and crashes in the jungle. Dieter is arrested by the peasants, tortured by the Vietcong and sent to a prisoner camp, where he meets five other mentally deranged prisoners and guards. He becomes close to Duane and organizes an escape plan; however, the unstable Gene opposes to Dieter's plan. When they discover that there is no more food due to the constant American bombings in the area and their guards intend to kill them, Dieter sets his plan in motion. However, an unexpected betrayal splits the group and Dieter and Duane find that the jungle is their actual prison.

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Plot Keywords:

guard | prisoner | bombing | laos | jungle | 

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Taglines:

Based on the extraordinary true story of one man's fight for freedom

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Biography | Drama | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some sequences of intense war violence and torture

Details

Official Sites:

Gibraltar Films MGM [United States]

Country:

USA Luxembourg

Language:

English Lao Vietnamese

Release Date:

27 July 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Rescate al amanecer

Filming Locations:

USA

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$110,326, 8 July 2007

Gross USA:

$5,490,423

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$7,177,143

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Top Gun Productions, Thema Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

At nearly $5.5 million dollars in the United States, this is the highest grossing film to date (March 2008) for Werner Herzog (his films have generally played in art-houses in the US).

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Goofs

Although a UH-60 Blackhawk is depicted on the poster, these aircraft were not built until after the Vietnam War.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Title Card: In 1965, few people believed that the still limited conflict in Viet Nam would turn into full scale war. / One of the first signs of what lay ahead was America's bombing of secret targets inside Laos.

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Connections

Referenced in Jumper (2008)

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Soundtracks

Voice from Another World
Performed by Ernst Reijseger (as Ernst Reijseger) (Trio)
Composed by Ernst Reijseger (as Ernst Reijseger) (BUMA)
Published by Winter & Winter (GEMA)
Ernst Reijseger appears courtesy of Winter & Winter, Munich, Germany

User Reviews

America gave me the opportunity ..

The film is based on the story of the American pilot Dieter Dengler (Christian Bale) and his crushing fall onto the territory of Vietnam. Active warfare during the Vietnam War will not be shown here, but you will see the inner side of the horror of the war - the brutal everyday life of the military captivity of American soldiers in the depths of the wild Vietnam jungle, where it is almost impossible to escape and stay alive. The script is very consistent and rich. Christian Bale, as almost as always, is incomparable and delightful in his role. You believe him and empathize. During the movie, he turns from a self-confident guy into a man who has understood, in his own skin, the difference between educational practice and the reality of war. Other actors also play with a high quality. The only drawback for me is how poorly was shown of the plane crash at the beginning of the film, there were obviously problems with the special effects during the shooting of the film ) Someone may decides that the film is tightened and there is little action, but behind such silence lies the deepest drama. You can feel the lack of budget and there are some drawbacks, but the message and the idea are much higher than commercial success. You should only feel a little stronger desire of the heroes to live, to fight for their lives, to overcome obstacles and not to despair, and you as a spectator will not remain indifferent.