Rescue Dawn

[DotTheEyes]

View the trailer...

Overall, Rescue Dawn is a very good film with a home stretch so infuriating and misguided it taints the entire experience.

In telling the story of a German-born U.S. Navy pilot who crashes over Laos during the Vietnam War and is captured, imprisoned, and tortured before staging a daring escape into the jungle, iconoclastic director Werner Herzog has fashioned an enthralling film set apart by Christian Bale's soulful and dedicated (he lost a significant amount of weight to portray the deteriorating physical state of his P.O.W. character) performance and naturalistic cinematography which is stunning in its beauty and scope.

Unfortunately, the director fails to craft a perfect ending and nosedives in his borderline-pathetic attempt to elicit patriotic cheers during the final act. With the rote efficiency you would except from a far less passionate and unique director, Werner Herzog piles on the (Sweet 'N Low-caliber) sugar and you almost forget what preceeded this interminable, Pearl Harbor-style epilogue was an unbridled and well-constructed cinematic exploration of the P.O.W. experience and the power of hope and faith.

I'll recommend Rescue Dawn because most of it is so good, but let me tell you... I haven't been this disappointed and disheartened by a dénouement since The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King went on and for what felt an eternity.

[DotTheEyes]

Saw this today. Updated ^ post with my thoughts.