Rescue Dawn

The Sunday Age

Sunday February 24, 2008

Iain McKay

4/5

Rescue Dawn

(MA, 126 mins) Hopscotch

The story of Dieter Dengler, the only American POW to escape from captivity during the Vietnam War, may seem an odd choice for eccentric German director Werner Herzog. But having visited it in his 1997 documentary, it's clear that this tale of survival against the odds is right up Herzog's alley. It puts him where he likes to be - in the thick of it, pushing actors and crew to their limits, all part of the Herzog guide to film direction that likes everything shot wide and immediate so it can't be faked. If only there were more like him, for the performances from Christian Bale and Steve Zahn are beyond praise and the result is raw, intense and utterly believable. Extras: Commentaries, "making of" and interviews