 |
A GREAT Vietnam War movie starring Christian Bale (The Dark Knight, Equilibeium, The Machinist, 3:10 to Yuma, etc) as Dieter Dengler in a true story. Dengler is assigned to the USS Ranger aircraft carrier in 1965, when on his first bombing mission prior to major US involvement in the war- he is shot down while attacking a target in Laos. After evading the VC and supporters for several days. He is captured and taken to a prison camp in the jungles of Laos. There he meets 6 fellow prisoners who have worked or flown for the CIA and also been captured. Dengler proceeds to plan an escape-but first has to talk his fellow POWs into going along-first problem-they have been in the POW camp for so long, they are a nuts. After clearing that hurdle, the escape takes place but only one of his prisoner friends - end up with Dengler- that being Duane played by Steve Zahn (Sahara, You Got Mail, A Perfect Getaway, etc). Together they encounter the jungle dangers- leeches, snakes, bug, and disease - together while trying to get to Thailand. The prison camp was bad-but the jungle is worse and the movie accurately portrays all the hardships and decisions they must make. Director Werner Herzog is a German director who has mostly limited his films to documentaries- such as Grizzly Man which was popular in the US. Here he does an excellent job though of captureing the hardships of war and the jungle. The movie was awarded the Independent Spirit Award (for independent movies in 2006) and is a top grade movie that war movie lovers will enjoy, as well as suspense movie and action and adventure devotees will love also. This movie will give most people a very good evenings enjoyment and entertainment if you are not weak of stomach-since scenes of eating maggots, picking leeches off his body, eating a raw snake (while alive),etc- are in the movie. GREAT flix!!Read full review
This isn't just based on a true story, it's a remake of Werner Herzog's 1997 documentary, Little Dieter Needs to Fly. German-born Dieter Dengler (Christian Bale) has longed to pilot a plane since he was a boy. When he joins the US Navy during the Vietnam War, he gets his wish. Then he's shot down over Laos. The whole movie follows his experiences in a Vietcong prison camp. There he meets other prisoners - most notably a character played by Steve Zahn (who is amazing in a role much more serious than those in his past movies). The movie is filmed much like a documentary - with fade aways and individual experiences from Dieter's experiences in the camp. The music by Klaus Badelt is stunning and only adds to the atmosphere of loneliness, isolation, and finally hope.
The movie was a little slow at first, but picked up once the captives were able to make their way out of the prison camp. The dialog was a little weak and some parts dragged on longer than it should have. Because I saw the extras before watching the actual movie, I was able to appreciate the movies' captivating scenery. What kept me interested in the movie was that it was based on actual events and I was curious to see how a POW endured the capture and treatment leading up to his rescue.
Good script writing, good acting and good photography makes a good movie.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
I saw the movie when it first came out with my son. I had worked for a Vietnam POW and read over 100 POW books. Tom USAF 62-68🇺🇸
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Best Selling in DVDs & Blu-ray Discs
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Save on DVDs & Blu-ray Discs
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- You may also like
