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Dengler's unique G.I. Joe self-fulfilling mythology can be seen ever more clearly when you compare him with his fellow American POWs. Eugene (Jeremy Davies, looking eerily like Charles Manson) is an emaciated weakling who would rather wait for release than risk death to escape. And Duane (Steve Zahn, in an Oscar-worthy supporting performance), though brave and devoted to Dengler, is all but helpless due to his malaria-weakened body. Bale and Zahn play the buddy dynamic well, and their chemistry breeds an emotional resonance that is painfully snatched away as the film reaches its harsh—if superficially happy—conclusion.

I won't go into what happens in the end, but suffice it to say that what appears to be a "Hollywood ending" is merely Herzog playing at surreal, emotional detachment, just as his main character plays his way through unspeakable realities. The most brutal moment in the film—and it really blindsides you—is treated with the cavalier detachment and indifference of nature that Herzog speaks of in Grizzly Man. This is a Darwinian story about the survival of the fittest, with man just one among many things in nature vying for endurance and life.

Director Herzog with Bale on the set

One especially unsettling scene occurs when a starving Dengler grabs a live snake from a murky river and then proceeds to bite into its scaly flesh while it is still wriggling around in his hands. This image—of a stoically animalistic Dengler exerting his dominion over a fellow creature in the wild—typifies the Edenic horror and beauty of Herzog's vision of man and nature: equals in a precarious relationship subject to becoming predator-prey at any moment. The film reminded me at times of The Thin Red Line (with the ubiquitous imagery of a fallen Eden yearning for wholeness) and Apocalypto (with man struggling against both fellow man and nature's brutal indifference).

But while Dawn viscerally exposes these stunning and horrific truths about fallen nature and man, it regards them rather mundanely. Dengler floats freely between the refined, civilized world and the primal, uncivilized world, almost like one who turns on and off a videogame or some other simulation of reality. In this way the film feels more relevant than ever. In our world of hyper-reality, simulacra, and role playing, what one is and does—indeed, what counts as "real" or not—seems increasingly subject to what one wants it to be. The question Dawn raises, ultimately, is not how Dengler managed to survive what he did, but whether having survived, if anything could ever be quite as exciting again.

Talk About It

1. Why do you think the filmmakers chose to end the film the way they did—with a mood so different than what had been portrayed in most of the rest of the film?
2. What do you think Duane meant when he told Dieter that "the jungle is the real prison"? And how does this relate to the film's overall portrayal of nature in the film?
3. From what you could glean of Dengler's character, do you think that—in retrospect—he would have wanted to become a Vietnam fighter pilot?
4. Does anyone in this film demonstrate Christ-like love or mercy? Who and under what circumstances are these virtues displayed?

The Family Corner

Rescue Dawn is rated PG-13 for some intense sequences of violence/torture and some language. The main character (Dengler) is subjected to intense torture, such as being suspended upside-down with a beehive tied around his face, submerged in a sewage well, and dragged by a live animal. Another main character is attacked with a machete and beheaded (though the beheading is swift and isn't shown gratuitously). There are numerous scenes of eating bugs, worms, and a live snake, and the overall lack of food/water/comfort for the protagonists might unnerve some viewers. Though parents should use caution, the film is cleaner than the average PG-13 film, and contains a positive message of companionship, freedom, and survival.

Photos © Copyright MGM Pictures

© Brett McCracken subject to licensing agreement with Christianity Today International. All rights reserved. Click for reprint information.

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