Rescue Dawn
In the end, those looking for a war movie that shows epic battles in their favorite war might find themselves disappointed to see a movie that focuses so much on a single character.
Review by Sirus

“Rescue Dawn” is a strange sort of war movie set in the Vietnam War. A group of pilots is being prepared for their mission into enemy territory. One of the pilots is a rookie named Dieter (Christian Bale) who has wanted to be a pilot for most of his life. Dieter is excited that he is about to embark on his first mission and prepares by huddling with his comrades for launch. Once in the air, it is obvious that Dieter doesn’t really know what he is doing and seems like he isn’t taking his job seriously. After the planes on his left roll to the side to fall back, it is now Dieter’s turn to do the same. The problem is that Dieter attempts the maneuver and does something wrong, sending him straight towards land. In the heat of the moment, to save himself from a fatal crash, he presses a few buttons at random and ends up launching some missiles. The debris from the explosion he causes hits one of his wings, causing him to lose control and barrel towards the ground. Unwilling to eject himself before landing, Dieter survives the crash and makes his way into the jungle to look for a way to signal for help. After a day spent alone in the jungle, he manages to get himself caught by some enemy combatants who send him to a camp where they have a few other prisoners. From there, Dieter spends every waking moment devising a plan of escape and hopefully finding his way back to the American forces.

The entire movie has a slow and deliberate pacing about it. It is considerably strange to see a character in Dieter’s position constantly optimistic and always thinking of a plan. While I may not have agreed with the writing of the character of Dieter, Christian Bale does a fantastic job in his role. The music in the movie is solid and used sparingly for maximum atmospheric effect. The music is heavy on the strings and works well to complement the scenes in which it is used. In the end, those looking for a war movie that shows epic battles in their favorite war might find themselves disappointed to see a movie that focuses so much on a single character. While I felt sympathy for the profound ordeal Dieter had to go through to survive, it seemed like this all wouldn’t have happened if he had taken his job more seriously. It saddens me to know that the entire experience didn’t change Dieter’s attitude in life one bit. While the cinematography is solid in spots, I was left without much lasting impact from the story and will likely forget the movie in a short amount of time.

Final Score: 3/5