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Now On DVD: Werner Herzog, Rescue Dawn

by T.O. Lawrence
11/23/2007

Though Werner Herzog’s Rescue Dawn draws in his old fans with promises of the terrible beauty which have made him a directorial legend, it is fundamentally designed for a more diverse audience. These viewers may not yet revel in the joy of little yellow subtitles or the screech of a Lynchian baby, but they are the kind that could dip their toes into the pond a bit to find the water murky but cool.

A reimagining of Herzog’s documentary Little Deiter Needs to Fly, Rescue Dawn is an exploration of the physical and mental breakdown of men when confronted with systematic threats their survival. Desperate native captors, an entombing jungle and Deiter’s fellow prisoners all tread familiar ground with Herzog with a new, seemingly conventional, protagonist who he polishes down to an icon.

This brilliance is largely due to the portrayal of Deiter Dengler, a downed American pilot in the middle of the Laotian jungle, by an unflappably optimistic Christian Bale who, after stepping off from larger productions such as Batman Begins, dissolves, both literally and figuratively, into the role of the unshakable pilot. His fellow prisoner, Duane (Timothy Zahn) collapses to a heap of flesh and bones, drawn with the audience through the jungle in Deiter’s footsteps. Their intense platonic love is made even more astounding when contrasted with fellow prisoner Gene’s (Jeremy Davies) raging paranoia at the thought of action or escape.

The plot, however, is a bit slow to catch fire but sizzles here and there sending off hints of adventure along the way. The humor makes you feel bad for laughing at Duane’s incontinence or Gene’s psychotic rants, because it feels utterly real and painful. Surprising but never divisive, Herzog strips the escape movie to its very bones, illuminating a more sincere desperation that hangs as plainly as the skin off Bale’s ribs, one in which hope never dies though plans always seem to fall short.

Herzog has always been a great director for the home DVD market. With his rambling German stories, extensive knowledge of film making and instant, infective charm, his commentaries become as fascinating as the stories themselves. Have a bet with your buddies on if those were real grubs? Or on just how the hell Davies got himself so skinny? Herzog couples anecdotes with technical knowledge, entertaining you while teaching you how to film. Combined with the "making of" documentary included on the disc and the rare inclusion of some of Herzog's deleted scenes this makes for a typical, though well-made melange of bonuses to go along with a beautiful film.

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