Rescue Dawn (2007) Wernr Herzog's newest movie is a Vietnam War era prison camp movie starring the always amazing Christian Bale and the surprisingly amazing Steve Zahn (and also a best-supporting perfomance by Jeremy Davies). This is an actor's showcase movie. Bale's character's bzarrely flip attitude at the beginning, even in the face of his first mission, defines the Dieter character (based on a true story). Often prison movies can be tiring, as we must experience the pain of the caprtured, and Rescue Dawn dabbles close into this terrirtory, but not too far into the point of monotony. We don't get that "Deer Hunter" moment, but we also aren't lulled to sleep. Fans of Christian Bale are going to want to see this one for sure, as well as fans of true war stories (though the war is mostly a back-drop). This is a tale of human struggle and mental and physical excertion to the extreme (and beyond...). Despite it's early release in the Oscar season, I would be surprised to not see a handful of nominations.
