Given Herzog’s frenetic inclination towards authenticity, I was surprised by his use of special effects in the scene where Dieter Dengler’s plane is shot down. Perhaps it’s a tool to highlight Dengler’s affinity towards flight, a passion rooted so deeply in his life that his first flight seems romanticized, almost surreal. Or perhaps the director is simply sampling what Hollywood magicians have to offer.
Nevertheless, once those few seconds of irregular Hollywood magic disappear, Rescue Dawn falls into the lap of Christian Bale as Dengler, and he runs with it. Over the next two hours he becomes increasingly emaciated, eats maggots, crawls through mud, endures leeches, and is repeatedly shot at. At the same time, Steve Zahn and Jeremy Davies completely steal the film from him as two POWsÑsoft-spoken Duane, who becomes Dengler’s closest ally, and a delusional American named Gene.
A great film, though the documentary on which this is based could never be outdone, even by Herzog himself.
by Adam Balz | Source: 35MM Theatrical Print
13 Aug 2007 2:34 PM | Submit Comment
