Rescue Dawn (2006) [DVD9] [2007]

In the tradition of The Great Escape and The Deer Hunter, Rescue Dawn is Werner Herzog's take on the pulse-pounding POW genre. Unlike most such efforts, however, his isn't just based on a true story, it's a remake of his 1997 documentary Little Dieter Needs to Fly. German-born Dieter Dengler (Christian Bale, who first made his mark in Steven Spielberg’s prison camp drama Empire of the Sun) has longed to pilot a plane since he was a boy. When he joins the Navy during the Vietnam War, he gets his wish. Then he's shot down over Laos. Though he survives, Dengler is captured by the Pathet Lao. Through his internment, he meets Duane Martin (Steve Zahn in his finest performance), with whom he becomes fast friends. While Dengler is arrogant and resourceful, Martin is patient and humble. With Dengler's assistance, the prisoners escape, but the untamed wilderness turns out to be just as dangerous (cinematographer Peter Zeitlinger ably captures its cruel beauty). Those who've seen Little Dieter know how this tale ends. Suffice to say, Herzog's reenactment makes for rousing entertainment. If the film has a flaw, it's that the rah-rah finale plays like something from out of a mainstream sports movie. That quibble aside, the actors, including Jeremy Davies as a delusional campmate and Toby Huss as a fellow flyer, are aces. And Herzog, who's been concentrating on nonfiction, like Grizzly Man, proves he can direct a Hollywood-style action epic with the best of 'em.




MOVIE:
DIRECTOR: Werner Herzog
COUNTRY: USA
YEAR: 2006

Cast & Credits

Cast
Dieter Dengler Christian Bale
Duane Steve Zahn
Gene Jeremy Davies
Procet Lek Chaiyan Chunsuttiwat
Phisit Abhijati 'Meuk' Jusakul


Credits
Director Werner Herzog
Screenplay Werner Herzog
Cinematography Peter Zeitlinger
Editing Joe Bini






DVD:
DVD RELEASE: November 20, 2007
STUDIO: MGM Home Entertainment
SYSTEM: NTSC
SCREEN: 1.85:1
COLOR
AUDIO: English Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish, French Dolby Surround
SUBTITLES: English, Spanish
RUNTIME (MOVIE): 125 minutes


EXTRACTION:
ENGINE: DVD Decrypter
DVD: 1 Full Dual-Layer DVD
FILE EXTENSION: Image (.ISO) + MDS file
FILE SIZE: 7.69 GB
SCANS HQ PDF(800 DPI): 5.28 MB


INFO:

AMAZON
WIKIPEDIA
IMDB


Disc Features:

- Commentary by Director Werner Herzog and Interviewer Norman Hill
- The Making of a True Story Featurette: Telling Dieter's Story, Strenght of Character, War Stories, What Would Dieter Do?
- 3 Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary By Directyor Werner Herzog and Interviewer Norman Hill
- Still Photo Gallery