Rescue Dawn

One of the best films I've seen this year is Rescue Dawn. Holly and I saw this in Athens a couple of months ago and really enjoyed it. It is the story of Dieter Dengler, a Navy pilot who is shot down in his first mission over Laos. Dengler is captured by the Pathet Lao soldiers and the film follows his experiences in the concentration camp. Christian Bale gives an amazing performance as Dengler - good enough to deserve an Oscar nomination in my opinion.


Unfortunately this film has not been widely released. In fact, I think it has mostly shown in smaller artsy theaters in university towns. Holly and I found it in an old theater about two blocks away from UGA in Athens. Anyway, the reason I'm posting is because I noticed it's now showing at Browning Cinema, the DeBartolo Center for the Performing Arts in Notre Dame. The showtimes for today are 7:00 and 10:00 PM.

This isn't a film for the squeemish. The violence is realistic and the film has a raw, unstylized quality. The characters are not super heroes. In fact, they are very human, responding in ways you think you might respond yourself. But that's what makes this a great film. If you want more information on content, read the review at Plugged In.