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Rescue Dawn (2007) Rank 3 Reviews

Expert Review Summary
Movie critics combined give Rescue Dawn (2007) a score of 3.0642 out of 4
based on (102) reviews
Click on the numbers to the right of the graph to see reviews of that rating
Excellent
4
Excellent
(27)
Very Good
3
Very Good
(53)
Good
2
Good
(22)
Fair
1
Fair
(0)
Poor
0
Poor
(0)
Reviews by Score:
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 3.44 out of 4 stars for Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Philip Martin)Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Philip Martin)
... a pretty good movie that could be received on the level of pure entertainment. It is no less Hollywoodized than The Great Escape or Stalag 17 . ...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Philip Martin)
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 3.36 out of 4 stars for Apollo Guide (Brian Webster)Apollo Guide (Brian Webster)
Rescue Dawn is subtle in its politics but still works powerfully well as both an incredible story of personal survival and an anti-war treatise. ...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at Apollo Guide (Brian Webster)
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 3.25 out of 4 stars for Monsters and Critics (Ron Wilkinson)Monsters and Critics (Ron Wilkinson)
When acclaimed ultimate-reality film director Werner Herzog first met Dieter Dengler he saw a match made in heaven. ...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at Monsters and Critics (Ron Wilkinson)
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for Shadows on the Wall (Rich Cline)Shadows on the Wall (Rich Cline)
Expertly filmed and vividly well-acted, this true-life war thriller is remarkably understated and yet powerfully gripping and moving. ...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at Shadows on the Wall (Rich Cline)
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for PopMatters (Bill Gibron)PopMatters (Bill Gibron)
Though this kind of film has been done dozens of times before, Herzog's desire for authenticity, along with his unusual approach to the underlying politics of the era, drive Rescue Dawn far above other battle scar epics. ...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at PopMatters (Bill Gibron)
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for About.com (Jurgen Fauth)About.com (Jurgen Fauth)
Dieter Dengler's jungle ordeal is bursting with the themes that have defined Herzog's career, and it's one hell of a story. ...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at About.com (Jurgen Fauth)
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for Sacramento News & Review (Jim Lane)Sacramento News & Review (Jim Lane)
...a memorable, if grueling, experience... ...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at Sacramento News & Review (Jim Lane)
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for Greenwich Village Gazette (Eric Lurio)Greenwich Village Gazette (Eric Lurio)
Steve Zahn deserves an Oscar for this, so does Christian Bale. ...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at Greenwich Village Gazette (Eric Lurio)
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for ReviewExpress.com (Diana Saenger)ReviewExpress.com (Diana Saenger)
An enthralling story that explores the human spirit in the most devastating of circumstances. ...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at ReviewExpress.com (Diana Saenger)
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for New York Times (Matt Zoller Seitz)New York Times (Matt Zoller Seitz)
A satisfying genre picture that challenges the viewer’s expectations. ...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at New York Times (Matt Zoller Seitz)
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for Jam! Movies (Jim Slotek)Jam! Movies (Jim Slotek)
Bale's crazy dedication provides all the substance needed in this reality-based Vietnam era PoW movie, in which Werner Herzog turns a Teutonic eye to the Hollywood war film genre, coldly stripping it of sentimentality and hero iconography. ...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at Jam! Movies (Jim Slotek)
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for Los Angeles Times (Carina Chocano)Los Angeles Times (Carina Chocano)
Aside from a riveting adventure story that Herzog tells in all of its terrifying, stripped-down simplicity, Rescue Dawn is a fascinating study of human particularity. ...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at Los Angeles Times (Carina Chocano)
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for ReelTalk Movie Reviews (Jeffrey Chen)ReelTalk Movie Reviews (Jeffrey Chen)
Herzog trusts in the story without furnishing any embellishment, and the result packs a good punch all its own. ...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at ReelTalk Movie Reviews (Jeffrey Chen)
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for Antagony & Ecstasy (Tim Brayton)Antagony & Ecstasy (Tim Brayton)
The key is to not think about it as a Herzog film...and just as a really top-tier war drama. ...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at Antagony & Ecstasy (Tim Brayton)
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for Austin Chronicle (Marjorie Baumgarten)Austin Chronicle (Marjorie Baumgarten)
Herzog outdoes himself with Rescue Dawn, making his most popularly accessible film yet and proving at the same time that he is among the most daring of all filmmakers. ...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at Austin Chronicle (Marjorie Baumgarten)
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Boston Globe (Ty Burr)Boston Globe (Ty Burr)
Those coming to Rescue Dawn cold will probably accept it as a straightforward, even predictable account of POW suffering, and they'll hang on Bale's muscular portrayal of a man who refuses to say die. ...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at Boston Globe (Ty Burr)
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Chicago Sun-Times (Richard Roeper)Chicago Sun-Times (Richard Roeper)
Herzog makes no attempt to pump this story up into a thrilling adventure. There is nothing thrilling about dysentery, starvation, insect bites and despair. ...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at Chicago Sun-Times (Richard Roeper)
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Miami Herald (Rene Rodriguez)Miami Herald (Rene Rodriguez)
It's easy to understand why Herzog was driven to tell this story twice. ...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at Miami Herald (Rene Rodriguez)
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Philadelphia Inquirer (Steven Rea)Philadelphia Inquirer (Steven Rea)
If Rescue Dawn isn't about heroism, then it's about something deeper, more primitive: survival instinct. ...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at Philadelphia Inquirer (Steven Rea)
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Christian Science Monitor (Peter Rainer)Christian Science Monitor (Peter Rainer)
Although nothing beats seeing and hearing the real story, Herzog has done a fairly compelling job of blending staged action with docudrama authenticity. ...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at Christian Science Monitor (Peter Rainer)
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Metromix.com (Matt Pais)Metromix.com (Matt Pais)
Gives a sense of not only what it was like to be there but the brotherhood that comes from being holed up in close quarters, waiting for a search party that may never come. ...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at Metromix.com (Matt Pais)
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Reel Film Reviews (David Nusair)Reel Film Reviews (David Nusair)
...much of the film's success is due primarily to Bale's captivating, flat-out astounding performance as the actor becomes Dieter to an almost ridiculous degree... ...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at Reel Film Reviews (David Nusair)
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Reel.com (JIM HEMPHILL)Reel.com (JIM HEMPHILL)
Writer-director Werner Herzog's Rescue Dawn tells the rather incredible true story of Dieter Dengler (Christian Bale), a German-born U.S. pilot who was shot down in the early days of the Vietnam War and held captive in a POW camp. There he bonded with ...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at Reel.com (JIM HEMPHILL)
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Kalamazoo Gazette (James Sanford)Kalamazoo Gazette (James Sanford)
certainly effective in its own way, thanks to a number of excellent performances, a few jolting visuals and Herzog's evocation of the steamy, almost impenetrable jungles of Laos and Thailand... ...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at Kalamazoo Gazette (James Sanford)
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for EmanuelLevy.com (Emanuel Levy)EmanuelLevy.com (Emanuel Levy)
In "Rescue Dawn," iconic German director Werner Herzog goes back into one of his film's most defining locales--the jungle--to recreate the true-life tale of Dieter Dengler, a German-born U.S. navy pilot whose plane was shot down over Laos in ...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at EmanuelLevy.com (Emanuel Levy)
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Los Angeles Daily News (Bob Strauss)Los Angeles Daily News (Bob Strauss)
Here's an odd Fourth of July gift to America from our old pals, the Germans. "Rescue Dawn" recounts the Vietnam War-era adventure of the late Dieter Dengler, who was also the subject of director Werner Herzog's 1997 documentary, "Little Dieter Needs ...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at Los Angeles Daily News (Bob Strauss)
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Newsday (Jan Stuart)Newsday (Jan Stuart)
If you know the original, then you may receive this gripping and faithful dramatization as a kind of cinematic experiment in the relative merits of the spoken word vs. the illustrated. ...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at Newsday (Jan Stuart)
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Deseret News, Salt Lake City (Jeff Vice)Deseret News, Salt Lake City (Jeff Vice)
Rescue Dawn is one of the best movies out there -- war or otherwise. ...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at Deseret News, Salt Lake City (Jeff Vice)
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Arizona Daily Star (Phil Villarreal)Arizona Daily Star (Phil Villarreal)
Herzog's familiarity with the material is an invaluable resource. His insight and vision lead to an experience that can't be matched by soundstages or computer graphics. ...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at Arizona Daily Star (Phil Villarreal)
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for One Guy's Opinion (Frank Swietek)One Guy's Opinion (Frank Swietek)
Is Werner Herzog trying to do an Orson Welles? In 1946 the latter, saddled with a reputation for perfectionism, unreliability and artiness that poisoned the possibility of his being hired for studio directing jobs, agreed to make a conventional picture ...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at One Guy's Opinion (Frank Swietek)
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Newark Star-Ledger (Stephen Whitty)Newark Star-Ledger (Stephen Whitty)
In its study of an American pilot, surviving only because of his single-minded obsession with staying alive, Rescue Dawn is compelling and dramatic and emotional. ...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at Newark Star-Ledger (Stephen Whitty)
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for NewsBlaze (Kam Williams)NewsBlaze (Kam Williams)
Further proof that Christian Bale might be the best thespian around never nominated for an Oscar. ...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at NewsBlaze (Kam Williams)
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Scene-Stealers.com (Eric Melin)Scene-Stealers.com (Eric Melin)
Naturalistic..the dialogue was very unforced, [and it contains] spectacular performances. ...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at Scene-Stealers.com (Eric Melin)
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Worcester Telegram & Gazette (Daniel M. Kimmel)Worcester Telegram & Gazette (Daniel M. Kimmel)
...a portrait of man in dire straits forced to dig deep into himself for the resources to survive and fight back. ...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at Worcester Telegram & Gazette (Daniel M. Kimmel)
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Minneapolis Star Tribune (Colin Covert)Minneapolis Star Tribune (Colin Covert)
Herzog shows all of this with a fresh, observant eye. While sadism is a staple of most POW movies, Herzog focuses on the punishing tedium and deprivation of confinement. And filming on location in Thailand gives the film a harshly sensual look. ...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at Minneapolis Star Tribune (Colin Covert)
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Slant Magazine (Fernando F. Croce)Slant Magazine (Fernando F. Croce)
Like his obsessed heroes, Werner Herzog continues to hear the call of the jungle. ...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at Slant Magazine (Fernando F. Croce)
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Duane Dudek)Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Duane Dudek)
Although the drama is taut and terrifically acted, it is pretty standard fare. ...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Duane Dudek)
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Mark Reviews Movies (Mark Dujsik)Mark Reviews Movies (Mark Dujsik)
Herzog's admiration for [Dengler] and his story is apparent. ...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at Mark Reviews Movies (Mark Dujsik)
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Denver Post (Michael Booth)Denver Post (Michael Booth)
That heart-stopping beginning tells us Herzog is again in top form, richly depicting the true story of the only American POW known to have escaped from Laotian captivity. ...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at Denver Post (Michael Booth)
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for MovieFreak.com (Sara M. Fetters)MovieFreak.com (Sara M. Fetters)
I like filmmakers as fiercely independent as this one, directors who refuse to paint easy portraits for their audiences and make them use their brains to decipher the pluses and minuses of what is going on. ...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at MovieFreak.com (Sara M. Fetters)
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for TV Guide's Movie Guide (Ken Fox)TV Guide's Movie Guide (Ken Fox)
Once again back in his element, Herzog brings man's struggle against nature -- both outer and inner -- to the screen with an often enthralling immediacy. ...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at TV Guide's Movie Guide (Ken Fox)
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for ReelViews (James Berardinelli)ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
With its high level of verisimilitude, unhurried pace, and stretches of tension, Rescue Dawn represents a solid effort from Herzog that fans of the genre should actively seek out. ...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for St. Paul Pioneer Press (Chris Hewitt (St. Paul))St. Paul Pioneer Press (Chris Hewitt (St. Paul))
There's a matter-of-fact quality to the horrors of Rescue Dawn and to Herzog's visualization of Dengler's half-starved hallucinations as he makes his escape. Herzog's point is that when everything is absurd, nothing is. War makes the surreal real. ...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at St. Paul Pioneer Press (Chris Hewitt (St. Paul))
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Atlantic City Weekly (Lori Hoffman)Atlantic City Weekly (Lori Hoffman)
... an escape movie with a distinctly European feel, which means it is more real and less about rah-rah American ingenuity in the face of impossible odds. ...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at Atlantic City Weekly (Lori Hoffman)
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Seattle Times (Moira MacDonald)Seattle Times (Moira MacDonald)
An odd but vivid and compelling mixture of big-movie showmanship and eccentric vision. ...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at Seattle Times (Moira MacDonald)
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Combustible Celluloid (Jeffrey M. Anderson)Combustible Celluloid (Jeffrey M. Anderson)
Herzog never shies away from anything horrific or disgusting, but rather moves in closer with an unusual fearlessness. ...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at Combustible Celluloid (Jeffrey M. Anderson)
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Detroit Free Press (Terry Lawson)Detroit Free Press (Terry Lawson)
The performances here are as excellent as they are unnerving. ...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at Detroit Free Press (Terry Lawson)
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Sun Publications (Chicago, IL) (Josh Larsen)Sun Publications (Chicago, IL) (Josh Larsen)
...the deep-seated look of absolute fear never leaves Zahn's red-ringed eyes. ...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at Sun Publications (Chicago, IL) (Josh Larsen)
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) (John Beifuss)Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) (John Beifuss)
It would be interesting to pair this well-reviewed 'art' film with 'Make Them Die Slowly' or another of the usually reviled Italian jungle-atrocity movies that covered similar ground, literally (dense tropical forest) and incidentally. ...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) (John Beifuss)
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Jolie Williamson)Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Jolie Williamson)
...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Jolie Williamson)
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 2.80 out of 4 stars for ComingSoon.net (Edward Douglas)ComingSoon.net (Edward Douglas)
A visually-stimulating real world take on "The Great Escape" that only suffers from a slower second act and a bit of silliness. ...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at ComingSoon.net (Edward Douglas)
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 2.75 out of 4 stars for Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Paula Nechak)Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Paula Nechak)
Well-acted but rote and strictly by the book. ...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Paula Nechak)
Rescue Dawn (2007) scores a combined 2.75 out of 4 stars for Oregonian (Marc Mohan)Oregonian (Marc Mohan)
From a director known for his obsession with obsessions, it's an unfortunate smoothing out. ...read the complete Rescue Dawn movie review at Oregonian (Marc Mohan)
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Movie Reviews: Action
Rescue Dawn (2007) Reviews
Rescue Dawn (2007)

RANKINGS:

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Ratings and rankings are based on number of movie, review scores, awards & other criteria.
Overall Rating:
3.0813
Rescue Dawn (2007) is ranked overall as out of 4 stars
Avg Critic Score:
3.0642
Rescue Dawn (2007) is ranked overall as out of 4 stars
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