Rescue Dawn (2007)
85%RT Audience Score: 75%
Awards & Nominations: 1 win & 6 nominations
Director Werner Herzog has once again made a compelling tale of man versus nature, and Christian Bale completely immerses himself in the role of fighter pilot (and prisoner of war) Dieter Dengler
Rescue Dawn is like a rollercoaster ride, but instead of loops and drops, it’s filled with maggots and live snakes. Christian Bale gives a solid performance, but let’s be real, the real stars of the movie are the creepy crawlies. Werner Herzog takes us on a thrilling journey that’s far from predictable and formulaic. It’s not your typical Hollywood movie, but that’s what makes it so great. So buckle up and get ready for a wild ride through the jungle.
Production Company(ies)
Tokuma Japan Communications, Studio Ghibli, Nibariki
Distributor
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Thailand
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for some sequences of intense war violence and torture
Year of Release
2007
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:SDDS Dolby Digital DTS
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:2h 5m
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Language(s):English, Lao, Vietnamese
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jul 27, 2007 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 8, 2002
Genre(s)
War
Keyword(s)
Rescue Dawn, PG-13, War, 2h 5m, directed by Werner Herzog, written by Werner Herzog, starring Christian Bale, Steve Zahn, Jeremy Davies, Galen Yuen, Apichart Chusakul, Chaiyan “Lek” Chunsuttiwat, produced by Elton Brand, Steve Marlton, Harry Knapp, reviewed by Hank Sartin, Joshua Rothkopf, Bob Mondello, Derek Malcolm, Peter Bradshaw, James Christopher, Ian Buruma, Brandy McDonnell, Kevin Carr, torture, intense war violence, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, $5.5M box office, POW camp, escape, Vietnam War, Navy pilot, Viet Cong internment camp, survival, heroism, gritty realism, slow pacing, weak narrative, tension, drama, character development, history lesson, fascinating, compelling, strong performances, Bale, Zahn
Worldwide gross: $7,177,143
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $10,281,745
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,958
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 1,121,237
US/Canada gross: $5,490,423
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $7,865,404
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,681
US/Canada opening weekend: $110,326
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $158,049
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,763
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $10,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $14,325,679
Production budget ranking: 1,532
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $7,714,378
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$11,758,312
ROI to date (est.): -53%
ROI ranking: 1,709
Steve Zahn – Duane
Jeremy Davies – Gene
Galen Yuen – Y.C.
Apichart Chusakul – Phisit
Chaiyan “Lek” Chunsuttiwat – Procet
Director(s)
Werner Herzog
Writer(s)
Werner Herzog
Producer(s)
Elton Brand, Steve Marlton, Harry Knapp
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
1 win & 6 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (163) | Top Critics (56) | Fresh (146) | Rotten (17)
November 18, 2011 | Rating: 3/5
Hank Sartin
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
November 17, 2011 | Rating: 4/5
Joshua Rothkopf
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Rescue Dawn may not feel much like a Herzog movie, but it’s a gripping real-life thriller.
October 18, 2008
Bob Mondello
NPR.org
TOP CRITIC
What we miss is the real Herzogian touch that can translate tales of derringdo into something more than mere adventure and stir the soul as well as the heart and mind.
November 23, 2007 | Rating: 3/5
Derek Malcolm
London Evening Standard
TOP CRITIC
An effective, unassuming and old-fashioned action adventure which is – perhaps a little faute de mieux – probably the best film of the week.
November 23, 2007 | Rating: 3/5
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
The performances are worryingly Method. Bale eats bowls of maggots. I had to look away when he tucked into a live snake.
November 23, 2007 | Rating: 3/5
James Christopher
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Somehow his story, reenacted in the feature film, fails to catch fire in the way it does in the documentary. It looks oddly conventional, even flat.
August 23, 2018
Ian Buruma
The New York Review of Books
While Zahn and Davies offer amazing performances, Bale’s starring turn often falls flat. Herzog doesn’t give him much to work with: The writer-director is reluctant to allow his hero any flaws, even fear and despair, on his harrowing journey.
August 13, 2018 | Rating: 2.5/4
Brandy McDonnell
The Oklahoman
Unlike a traditional Hollywood movie, Rescue Dawn follows the pacing and irony of real life. It is far from predictable and far from formulaic.
April 28, 2014 | Rating: 3/5
Kevin Carr
7M Pictures
The jungle has been very good to Werner Herzog.
April 28, 2011
Kelly Vance
East Bay Express
February 9, 2011 | Rating: 9/10
Jeff Otto
ReelzChannel.com
Werner Herzog isn’t interested in patriotism as product placement, like other directors might be. Though uncommonly somber, “Dawn” is still an engrossing prison-break film. It’s not “The Great Escape.” It’s “The Sheer, Dumb Luck Escape.”
September 17, 2010 | Rating: 3.5/4
Nick Rogers
The Film Yap…
Plot
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.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Christian Bale completely immerses himself in the role of fighter pilot (and prisoner of war) Dieter Dengler.
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