Movie Review by Perry Pannu:

I have to admit, when I heard about Rescue Dawn, I wasn’t too keen about seeing it. I’m not really into ‘war’ movies, but when I found out that Christian Bale was in it, suddenly it sounded a little better. I haven’t seen him pick a bad movie script but to be fair, I haven’t seen every single movie he’s in.

So now I was excited about seeing Rescue Dawn. And I wasn’t disappointed. It’s not a war movie. I mean yes, it does take place in Vietnam and yes, there are guns and bombs and fighter jets, but that’s not what the movie is about. It’s like an experiment in psychology. You get a feel of what it must have been like to be a POW; of what your mind thinks of when you are there. The dialogue is amazing, as is how one’s sense of humour can help others bear extreme conditions.

But it’s not all fun and games. This movie does have its slow moments, the beginning being one of them. There are scenes that feel like they’re just ‘extra things that happened’ so they can make a point of how horrible it really was. I felt like saying “I know, I get it, enough! Just get on with the story!”

I know it’s too early in the year, but I think this movie has a few Oscars in its future. Christian Bale is excellent, and Steve Zahn’s performance is phenomenal. But Jeremy Davies trumps them both. He looks the part, and it feels like he really is “Gene. That’s short for Eugene, from Eugene, Oregon. Eugene from Eugene, Oregon” (quote from the movie). The audience experiences every single moment with the actors. It’s like you are there with them in the middle of everything.

In conclusion, I would say, if you are a fan of ‘Crash! Bang! and Boom!’ wait for this movie to come out on DVD. If you are looking for what I think might be a possible Oscar movie, go see it in theatres on a cheap ticket night, and sneak in your own snacks (just make sure you finish your food before the scene when Christian Bale’s character eats live mealworms).