The life of Dieter Dengler, the brave fighter and pilot, who during the Vietnam War goes in a mission, has been changed completely, when the mission failed and he is taken as captive.
Herzog builds this movie around another strong, eccentric performance from Bale, who is gaining a reputation for outsized talent and for downsized physicality.
Bale's lack of ambiguity points to the biggest limitation of a film that makes the grade as an adventure yarn by ignoring the most disturbing implications of its story.
But just as exciting -- maybe even more so, for those who love the medium and, especially, the uplift of the great-escape genre -- Rescue Dawn is a triumphant Werner Herzog movie.
Dumps traditional war movie bravado in favor of a subtler touch, and softens the blow of an unspeakable ordeal by shooting it amidst a series of jarringly beautiful and poetic canvases.
Werner Herzog isn't interested in patriotism as product placement, like other directors might be. Though uncommonly somber, "Dawn" is still an engrossing prison-break film. It's not "The Great Escape." It's "The Sheer, Dumb Luck Escape."
Although the film delivers the expected action and efficiently jacks up the suspense, longtime devotees of the director will undoubtedly miss the visionary qualities that have long distinguished his work.