Rescue Dawn

[Amazon Link]
(paid link)
[4.0
stars] [IMDb Link]

There oughta be a special kind of Oscar for "Best Performace Involving Disgusting Food". Christian Bale would probably be a real contender for his role here.

In this movie (based on a true story) he plays Dieter Dengler, a Navy pilot assigned, in 1965, to bomb the Ho Chi Minh trail in Laos on his very combat first mission. And he gets shot down and taken prisoner by the Pathet Lao.

It's no picnic. In fact, it makes Stalag 17 look like the Waldorf Astoria.

Dieter joins prisoners accumulated by the Commies from previous CIA and military operations in southeast Asia. There's Duane, who's played by Steve Zahn, previously known mainly for amiable-goofball roles. There's also Eugene, played by Jeremy Davies; he's totally in character as 90%-crazy emaciated Charles Manson lookalike, who's mortally certain he's just about to be released as a result of ongoing secret negotiations. There are also a couple Thais and a Chinese smuggler from Hong Kong.

An unlikely bunch to plot and execute an escape plan, but that's what they do. The movie is intense and harrowing, and unabashedly on the side of the good guys. Very much worth your while, if you can stomach some poor culinary choices.


Last Modified 2024-02-01 5:47 AM EDT