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'Rescue Dawn' Review |
Excellent Review: |
Rescue Dawn
Rated: PG-13
Danny was amazed to watch a Brand New War Movie.....that did NOT take Cheap Shots at America.
Lots of Scary Skinny Guys.....some of these Actors are nothing but Skin and Bones!
Some "Bloodless" Violence.
Tons of Claustrophobic Jungle. That's Real Jungle People.....not some Movie Set in Hollywood.
Lots of Hungry Dudes eating Nasty Looking Bugs and other Slimy Vermin! YUCK!!!!
Running Time: 126 Minutes
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"Danny's Personal Feelings About
Rescue Dawn"
Rescue Dawn"
Featured Movie Review:
RESCUE DAWN
RESCUE DAWN
"A True Story Of Survival.....Declassified"
Copyright © 2007 MGM,All Rights Reserved
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I am Amazed that I NEVER heard of Rescue Dawn at all until very recently.
I heard that it made plenty of Top 10 Lists of Best Movies of 2007.....yet it never played in a single theater in my area.
You'd think that a movie starring Christian Bale, The New Batman, would have been marketed like crazy.
Rescue Dawn was filmed in August 2005 and it was supposed to be released in December 2006. But it was delayed until The 4th of July of 2007.
It had a limited release in the U.S. in some Big Market Areas like New York City and Los Angeles.
Right off the bat, let me tell you that the main reason I like this movie is that.....
"Rescue Dawn Is NOT An
Anti-American War Movie"
Anti-American War Movie"
Recently, as a matter of fact, it seems that New War movies do nothing but take Sucker Punches at the United States.
Now don't get me wrong, Danny is not Naοve.
He knows that the United States isn't perfect and deserves to be criticized for it's mistakes, but he doesn't need to be reminded of that fact in EVERY SINGLE WAR MOVIE!
War Movies that I paid for, by the way.
Did you ever hear of "The Customer is Always Right"?
Well, this customer is not happy with the Constant America Bashing!
Preached To By Hollywood" And I sure as Hell don't need Hollywood Types, who are some of the Phoniest and most Morally Corrupt people on Earth, to try to pretend to be on Danny's Side! Actors are the Least Qualified to Preach to other people the difference between Right and Wrong! |
You get to the point where you have to say, "Enough is Enough Already!"
If anything all of the recent Anti-American War Movies have the opposite effect on Danny.....I avoid them all together! I won't support them at the theater and I won't rent or purchase them either.
And I'm not the only one that feels this way. Almost all of the Anti-American War/Political Movies released in 2007 had Horrible Box Office Numbers.
In fact, I deliberately make time to see Pro-American War Movies to kind of balance things out.
To tell the truth, Pro-American War Movies can be just as Lame and Formulaic as the Anti-American War Movies.....but all I ever ask for is Fair and Balanced!
Recent War Movies that I feel are Fair and Balanced are Flags of our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima.
These two movies that were directed by Clint Eastwood are exactly what I look for in my War Movies.....A Great Story minus the Pro-American and/or Anti-American Propaganda.
They just tell the story without forcing a Political Agenda down the Audience's Throats.
Rescue Dawn is not to be confused with Red Dawn from 1984. Red Dawn was perhaps the greatest Pro-USA/War Movie of the 1980's! Sure, Red Dawn was kinda dumb and the characters did get annoying after awhile..... but Goddammit, they were wasting a whole bunch of Red Commie Bastards in order to Protect America! And in Danny's Book.....that's Pretty Cool! At the time, Red Dawn had a Who's Who of Future Movie Stars like Charlie Sheen, Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey. All of these Great Stars of the 1980's are now the Has-Beens of 2008! |
As you watch the main Character of Dieter Dengler, it becomes clear that.....
"Dieter Dengler Was A
Hell Of A Good Guy"
Hell Of A Good Guy"
Rescue Dawn is a great war film because it stays focused on the character of Dieter Dengler, played by Christian Bale who also starred in 2007's
3:10 To Yuma!
It doesn't try to make any statements about The Vietnam War.....it just tells a story without a hidden agenda.
Rescue Dawn is directed by a well-respected German director named Werner Herzog.
This is the first movie I've seen of Herzog's. His movies are not considered mainstream but more geared to the "Arthouse" Crowd.
Are Idiots" Herzog made a documentary in 2005 called Grizzly Man. I've have never seen it but I heard about it. A Hippie Environmentalist named Timothy Treadwell interacts with Alaskan Bears to create awareness of problems faced by these Bears from human development. In 2003, at the end of his 13th Annual Visit to Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska, Treadwell and his girlfriend were killed and eaten by the very bears he was trying to protect. I guess this guy wanted to be "One" with the Bears.....but I'm pretty sure that getting himself torn to pieces and eaten is NOT what he had in mind. How some people can be so Fuckin' Stupid still amazes Danny! |
This is not the first time that Herzog has told the sotry of Dieter Dengler. He also made a documentary for German Television about Dengler in 1997 called Little Dieter Needs to Fly.
I was curious why Herzog, who is German, would be so interested in Dengler who was an pilot for the U.S. Military in the 1960's.
Then I found out that Dengler immigrated to the U.S. from Germany after World War II.
He did this with only one goal in mind To Become A Pilot!
Dieter Dengler lived in Germany during World War II. As a child, he saw enemy aircraft (U.S. and other Allied Forces) fly overhead and he decided at that moment that he "Needed" to become a Pilot!
That single childhood Dream led him to the U.S. Navy and eventually to the USS Ranger off the coast of Vietnam.....it's at this point in Dengler's life where Rescue Dawn begins.
You can Learn the FULL History of the Real Dieter Dengler at Wikipedia! (new window) |
Dieter Dengler not only teaches us the importance of Goal-Setting but also.....
"Dieter Dengler Teaches Us
The Importance Of Loyalty"
The Importance Of Loyalty"
The year is 1965 and the United States Government is on the verge of escalating the number of troops that will be sent to Vietnam to fight.
Dieter Dengler and his fellow pilots on board the USS Ranger are selected to carry out Top Secret bombing runs in the countries of Vietnam and Laos.
This Top Secret mission will be Dieter Dengler's very first flying mission over enemy territory.
Forty minutes into his first mission, Dengler is shot down and eventually captured.
One of the most extraordinary acts that Dengler does in the movie is refuse to sign a piece of paper denouncing the United States presence in Southeast Asia.
Most POW's signed similar statements in the hopes of being released from captivity....even though they usually weren't.
But Dengler has such a strong sense of loyalty to his adopted country that he refuses to sign anything that would make him look disloyal.
This is not an usual trait among 1st generation immigrates in the United States. They usually left conditions far worse in their home country and came to the United States to build a better life for themselves and their families.
My own grandfather had the same Positive Attitude towards the U.S. as well.
When I seen people who burning the American Flag and saying nothing but hateful and negative things about the United States.....I immediately know that these people are full of shit!
While America isn't perfect, there are plenty of Great Things that exist ONLY in America. The fact many people choose to Focus ONLY on the Bad Stuff and NEVER on the Good Stuff shows their ignorance and/or their Ulterior Political Agendas.
The fact of the matter is that we have it so good in America in 2008 that we've become Spoiled!
Those of us who were born and raised in the United States in the past
30 Years have NO CLUE what it's like to live in a country with NO FREEDOM and NO HOPE!
When compared to some sections of the World.....the United States is the Absolute Best Place to Live!
Take a trip to Central Africa sometime and, if you make it back alive, then tell me that you would rather live there then in the United States!
Take a trip to Eastern Europe sometime and then tell me that you would rather live there then in the United States!
Take a trip to some of the civil war-torn areas of Central America, South America, The Middle East and Central Asia.....and then tell me that you would rather live there then in the United States!
Dieter Dengler, who grew up in Nazi Germany and whose grandfather was considered a Political Enemy of Adolf Hitler, did know what it was like to live with NO FREEDOM and in Constant Fear!
And he wasn't going to forget the opportunities that the United States presented to him as quickly as many other Americans do.
Dengler would not denounce the country that helped him achieve his dream of becoming a Pilot.
Dengler himself credited his grandfather's actions in Germany for giving him the courage to not "Sign Away" his Self-Respect and his Loyalty!
Now I would like to point out.....
"An Important Historic Fact
About Rescue Dawn"
About Rescue Dawn"
I don't feel that I'm Spoiling the Plot by telling you this next statement:
Deiter Dengler is one of only seven American POW's to escape from a Viet-Cong POW Camp and live to tell about it!
That is just an Historical Fact.
Rescue Dawn is not a suspense thriller where you are wondering IF he's going to escape or not.....this War Movie simply tells the story of how he did it.
There are no Huge Gun Battles like you would expect to see in most War Movies.
Rescue Dawn is just as much a Drama as it is a War Movie. It's about Determination, Optimism and the Will to Survive!
It's about men living in sub-human conditions and still having the presence of mind to formulate in Escape Plan and Carry it Out!
To Danny, Rescue Dawn is Totally Clichι Free! This is unlike most War Movies you have ever seen!
The main reason why Rescue Dawn is different from many of the other War Movies out there is that.....
"This Is A Very Authentic Looking Movie"
With the exception the A-1 Skyraider aircraft at the beginning of the movie.....there are NO Visual effects are used in Rescue Dawn.
Everything from the location of the movie to the performances of the actors were done to maintain a high-level of Authenticity:
Rescue Dawn was filmed entirely in Thailand.
All of that is REAL JUNGLE!
While you get a sense of how beautiful this Untamed Jungle can be......you can also see how dangerous it is!
Walking through Real Jungle is NOT like taking a Casual Walk at your local park.
There are no Grounds Crew spraying pesticides to keep poisonous insects from breading. There are no Landscapers to mow the grass or prune the trees.
In the Real Jungle, Mother Nature is in Control!
And Mother Nature can act like a Real Cunt when she wants to!
There are about a Thousand Ways that the Real Jungle can "Really Kill You" if you don't know how to survive in it.
All of them had to appear to be in a state of starvation.
Christian Bale, who lost over 60 lbs. for his his role in The Machinist back in 2003, also had to lose weight in this movie.
But the actor who got to the point of looking "Scary" Skinny was Jeremy Davies, who played POW Gene DeBruin.
When his shirt is off, you can literally see his entire rib cage, his pelvis bone and his spinal column! It was disgusting.....and according to the director, he had to stop Davies from losing even more weight.
War Movie" The last time Danny saw Jeremy Davies in a movie was when he played Private Upham in the Great War Movie, Saving Private Ryan back in 1998. |
Since it takes less time to gain weight as it does to lose weight, Rescue Dawn had to be film in Reverse!
This meant that the end of the movie, when Bale was at his skinniest, was the first scenes that were filmed. And the beginning of the movie, when Bale was at his heaviest, was the last scenes that were filmed.
I have heard people complain about "Method Actors" like Bale who go to great lengths (and physical abuse) for the sake of a movie.
The Actors in this movie definitely take "Method" to the Extreme, Man!
But I think that kind of Dedication is Commendable and should be Admired! In fact, many people consider Christian Bale to be one of the Best Actors working today!
To maintain authenticity of a POW on the brink of Starvation, Christian Bale went so far as to eat Live Maggots and Live Snakes! Bale is actually filmed doing this! |
The only people who would complain about it are those who don't care about the Quality of their work.....or perhaps they feel threatened because guys like Christian Bale make lots of lazy people look bad.
I mean if you're a "Lazy, Good-for-Nothing Loser" who never puts in any effort to succeed in life.....it's natural to hate a guy like Christian Bale because he "Busts his Ass", produces Quality Work and is Rewarded for it.
While I highly recommend Rescue Dawn, I have to also discuss the fact that.....
"There Is One Huge Historical Blunder
In This Movie"
In This Movie"
As with all Historical Movies, there are some historical inaccuracies in Rescue Dawn that were put there by the director, Werner Herzog.
The biggest inaccuracy is how Gene DeBruin is depicted.
Even the director admitted that the movie doesn't portray him correctly.
Although he also says that he didn't know this until AFTER the movie was completed.....which Danny finds "Hard to Believe" considering that Herzog is so familiar with the Dieter Dengler Story.
Jerry DeBruin, brother of Gene DeBruin, made a website to point out the Historical Inaccuracies found in Rescue Dawn. Jerry DeBruin is especially critical of the director on this website. Check out Jerry DeBruin's Anti-Rescue Dawn Website. (new window) |
On one of the documentaries found on the Rescue Dawn DVD, Herzog spoke about the Historical Inaccuracies concerning Gene DeBruin.
Herzog also gave an interview to Rotten Tomatoes (new window) and, during the interview, he addressed the DeBruin Controversy.
Danny's advice with ALL Historical Movies has always been to treat them as Entertainment First!
Watch these movies for the story and, if it inspires you, then do some research of your own.....
NEVER, NEVER, NEVER consider a movie to be a History Lesson!
Dengler wrote a book about his ordeal in 1979 called Escape From Laos .....this is a good place to start if you're interested in learning about the background of this movie.
However, this controversy changes Nothing about the Courage of Deiter Dengler who:
Survived a plane crash,
Survived torture,
Survived starvation,
Survived captivity and
Survived Twenty-Three Days on the run in the Brutal Jungles of Laos.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!!!!! DANNY LOVES YOU!!!!! |
"CAST
OF
RESCUE DAWN"
OF
RESCUE DAWN"
as Dieter Dengler | as Duane Martin |
as Gene DeBruin | as Admiral Berrington |
as U.S. Navy Pilot | as Province Governor |
as Corporal | as Farkas |
as Squad Leader | as Norman |
as Spook | as Nurse |
as Lessard | as Phisit |
as Jet Pilot | as Helicopter Pilot |
as Rigger Stone | as Jumbo |
as Crazy Horse | as Little Hitler |
as Jet Pilot | as Indian Man |
as Walkie Talkie | as Walt Disney Soldier |
as YCUW |
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