Rescue Dawn

Dieter Dengler (Christian Bale) joined the Navy before the conflict in Vietnam because he wanted to fly. The Navy was offering a chance to fulfill that dream so away he went. Little did he know that poor Dieter would be shot down in his first mission over Laos. The mission was black ops so no official rescue party could be sent in to get him. Dieter is on his own to find his escape after capture by a patrol.

Director Werner Herzog captured this story before in a documentary he did with the real Dieter Dengler. However, both felt the story still needed that visualization to fully appreciate the journey Dieter faced. This time Herzog could show his interaction with fellow prisoners Duane (Steve Zahn) and Eugene (Jeremy Davies). The three along with a few other foreigners intend to make a break with the wet season comes... but can they wait that long?

For a very modest budget of $10 mil, Herzog does a fine job of creating the big picture. The locations are incredbly shot... there are times with they are going into jungle and they barely can cut their way through the foliage. Another positive thing to remark on here is the much better pacing to this film then most Werner Herzog films. At right around two hours, Rescue Dawn never plods. Christian Bale and Steve Zahn are very good here and Jeremy Davies... well he is Jeremy Davies. Bale you expect this kind of physical role from, but Steve Zahn is very effective in this serious acting turn.

Overall you get a well crafted and harrowing tale. An interesting side fact, Rescue Dawn is the first project from a production company ran by Elton Brand... yes the PF for the LA Clippers...

90/100

3:10 to Yuma

Christian Bale plays a down on his luck rancher named Dan Evans. His spread is getting ready to be foreclosed on and sold. So Evans decides to take his chances in bringing outlaw Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) to justice for $200 promised to him by an official from the stage coach line Wade has brutally victimized. The bad news is no one wants to help Evans out of fear of reprisal from his gang led by Charlie Prince (Ben Foster). Evans soon finds himself in over his head.

Crowe plays Wade as a charming, somewhat intelligent man even flirts with the idea of running off to Mexico with barmaid (Vinessa Shaw from the legendary Ladybugs). Crowe is at the top of his game, but there isn't a whole lot he or Bale can do with their characters. For such a long film (two hours... and it feels longer), you neither learn anything remarkable about them nor do you get a lot of action. Ben Foster has the flashy role of the expert gunfighter, but it is hard to take someone serious in that way when he looks like a stiff breeze could knock him off his horse. Peter Fonda is a highlight though as the cagey old hired mercenary assigned to guarding the stage line.

Director James Mangold (Walk the Line, Copland) seems trapped in the narrow restraints of the original. This movie begs for the streamlined approach. There is way too much exposition in the story, which causes a lag in several spots. Couple that with an idiot ending and you are forced to not really enjoy the experience. Mangold echoed this film in modern times for Copland, but he gets lost here. I wanted to like this film...

50/100

Batman in the Terminator?

Or more accurately, the American Psycho is John Connor? McG (Those awful Charlie's Angels films) is directing? What is wrong with the world?

http://www.imdb.com/news/wenn/2007-12-04/