Rescue Dawn

Reviewed by Drav3n

Format: Blu-ray

Release: November 20, 2007

Rated: PG-13

Runtime: 125 Minutes

The Movie:

This 2007 movie is based on the true story about a US Navy pilot, Dieter Dengler, that is shot down on a combat mission in 1965. He survived the crash, but shortly gets captured by a militia of the Pathet Lao. After refusing to sign a document condemning America, he is then tortured and put inside a prison camp where he meets other American military men. Dieter immediately begins to think of a plan for him and the prisoners to escape, but the prisoners don't believe it's possible.

Initially when I heard that this movie was starring Christian Bale, I was worried. I haven't been too impressed with his work (especially as Batman). However, this movie proved me wrong. The one thing I'll say about Bale is that he is a very dedicated actor and takes his roles seriously with alot of research, training and dedication.

His supporting actors in this movie, Jeremy Davies (Saving Private Ryan, Lost) and the underrated Steve Zahn (National Security, Sunshine Cleaning), were fantastic and brought a tremendous amount of depth to the characters. I'm use to seeing Zahn in the comedic roles, and to see him take on this kind of a role and deliver such an amazing performance, it shocked me that he wasn't considered for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

The director, Werner Herzog, does a great job at making you feel the pain and suffering that the prisoners are going through. He makes it clear that although it's a war movie, it's not actually a war movie, but a movie about endurance and survival. The only bad thing is how rushed the ending appears to be. Otherwise, an excellent film!

Presentation:

Sit through the first few minutes of the film that uses archived footage, and the movie begins to look stunning. The beautiful blue sky and the greens of the jungle will immediately draw you into the film. Colors are going to stand out, the object detail is very fine, and black levels are deep. Skintones look acurate, facial shots look detailed, and even the night scenes boast an incredible amount of detail. There are so many little things that you weren't able to notice when watching this on dvd, and now will easily be able to notice while watching on blu-ray. There are a few soft scenes, but nothing to complain about.

Audio:

The audio is delivered through a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track that sounds incredible. Being able to hear the distant sounds of the insects during the quieter scenes was a real treat. The dialogue does come through with clarity, except that at times the dialogue can be too quiet, which resulted in me turning on the subtitles to make sure I didn't miss anything. The sound effects of the plane crash, the gun shots and the screams add a real depth of reality to the film.

Bonus Material:

• Audio Commentary - Featuring director Werner Herzog and interviewer Norman Hill
• The Making of a True Story (480p, Runtime 53:00) - A documentary that's broken down into several parts about the characters, the stories, telling Dieter's story, and behind the scenes footage.
• Deleted Scenes (480p, 5 minutes) - There are 7 scenes with optional commentary
• Honoring the Brave: Interactive Memorial - This interactive feature allows you to view several section of the Vietnam War Memorial. You are able to click some of the name of the soldiers that lost their life during the war and read a short bio about them.
• Preparing for Survival (480p, 8 minutes) - Features interviews with Vietnam war vets.
• Mission Secrets - A interesting trivia track that coincides with the movie.
• Theatrical Trailer (1080p)
• Photo Gallery (1080p)

Bottom Line:

An outstanding film with good actors delivering one hell of a performance! Add to that a beautiful image, great audio and a sattifying amount of special features, especially the interactive memorial. I'm not sure of the replay value this movie will bring so I'd recommend this as a rental first, and if you enjoy it, then do yourself the favor and add this to your collection!