MGM, Gibraltar Films and Top Gun Productions present a 126 minute PG-13 film directed by Werner Herzog and starring Christian Bale (Dieter Dengler), Steve Zahn (Duane), Marshall Bell (Admiral Berrington), Francois Chau (Province Governor), Jeremy Davies (Gene), Zach Grenier (Squad Leader), Pat Healy (Norman), Toby Huss (Spook), Evan Jones (Lessard), Craig Gellis (Corporal), Abhijati 'Meuk" Jusakul (Phisit), Mr. Kriangsak Ming-olo (Jumbo), Mr. Yuttana Muenwaja (Crazy Horse), Teerawat Mulvilai (Little Hitler), Somkuan 'Kuan' Siroon (Indian) and Mr. Chorn Solyda (Walkie Talkie).
The story takes place in the year 1965, the United States Navy plans a secret attack inside Laos, Vietnam. Based on a true story it follows the life of fighter pilot Dieter from his mission training, his flight, a very quick and sudden crash scene to his capture and quest to escape his captors. The film tends to move quickly and I'm not referring to the time of the film but rather many of the scenes involved in the film.
Upon his capture by the enemy he is taken to the Governors office and asked to proclaim by signature his hate towards Vietnam as an American soldier of which he does not, rather stating his love for America. Leading to his torture, "the quick have their sleep walkers so do the dead" and the jungle becomes his true prison rather than the camp they keep him in, where he eventually meets up with five other prisoners. Several of the prisoners, Duane and Gene have been held there for years already.
As the story unfolds in the camp the director does not quite develop the past lives of each of the prisoners but rather the present and what their future holds. Dieter, strong willed and somewhat of a gadget creator decides that escape is their only hope and develops a plan to over-take the guards, who by the way you could not understand what they were saying unless for the most part you spoke Vietnamese but did a wonderful acting job with their given roles. I taught Davies brilliantly outshined Zahn who tended at times to over-shadow Bale while in character. I had the opportunity to meet Christian in Los Angeles and personally became a fan but found his acting to be somewhat over the top at times, perfect for a super-hero like "Batman" but a bit over yet under-dramatic for a prisoner of war.
The documentary style to the film drew me in many times and the physical changes that the actors portrayed was quite believable but I never understood in the story line why Dieter wore a shiny wedding band on his finger! He mentioned he had a girlfriend which you never got to see, leaving out any touch of romance to the story and that of the unexplained wedding band! In moments of suspense the film would envelop you but as in the style to this Director he lost you at times with a whim of humor or misplaced emotions.
Laced with scenes of flatulence amongst the prisoners to crapping in their pants, a dancing dog, along with eating maggots for food to fighting the treacherous jungles of Nam I found myself asking if I would survive given these conditions doubting believable reactions to skepticism even though the film was based on truth! I think at times I looked for my own feelings of a bad dream and running from that horrible monster and my legs where not moving. Although the film gave me this reaction periodically, I felt it also lost some of the momentum at times where it could have achieved that inner emotional fear, leaving me with some unanswered questions pertaining to the characters and the outcome they attributed to the story.
It contains the struggle, the fight for survival, the gruesome encounter with death, the feeling of loss and giving up, questioning of a God but somehow left me a bit bewildered, especially at the choice of the score in several scenes. Finally in the end when a rescue is made the men in black take control of the situation until comrades from Dieter's ship step in to take matters in their own hands. In his words to the crew, Dieter expresses "empty what is full, fill what is empty and scratch where it itches". Words to live by of course so maybe the Director/Writer should have thought of them sooner!
Reporting for Talkin' Pets, I'm Jon Patch.