A U.S. fighter pilot's epic struggle of survival after being shot down on a mission over Laos during the Vietnam War.A U.S. fighter pilot's epic struggle of survival after being shot down on a mission over Laos during the Vietnam War.A U.S. fighter pilot's epic struggle of survival after being shot down on a mission over Laos during the Vietnam War.
- Awards
- 1 win & 6 nominations total
James Aaron Oliver
- Jet Pilot
- (as James Oliver)
François Chau
- Province Governor
- (as Francois Chau)
Teerawat Mulvilai
- Little Hitler
- (as Teerawat 'Ka-Ge' Mulvilai)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe film was shot in reverse continuity so Christian Bale, having worked hard to lose weight for the role, would appear the gauntest at the end, and then could simply gain the pounds back over the course of filming, working backwards through time so that when Bale returned to his average weight he would be filming his scenes as Dengler prior to being taken prisoner.
- GoofsDuring his captivity, Dieter is shown wearing his gold wedding band - it is generally regard as something no American pilot would do. However, on the DVD Walter Herzog explains a deleted scene where Dieter's ring is almost stolen. When the guards are transporting Dengler to prison they stop at a village. A man there threatens to kill Dieter unless he gives him his ring-a gift from his fiancée. When they leave the village Dieter tells the guards his ring was stolen and they return to the village. The guards cut off the villager's ring finger and return Dieter's ring to him. This is a factual event that haunted Dengler the rest of his life.
Featured review
The film is based on the story of the American pilot Dieter Dengler (Christian Bale) and his crushing fall onto the territory of Vietnam. Active warfare during the Vietnam War will not be shown here, but you will see the inner side of the horror of the war - the brutal everyday life of the military captivity of American soldiers in the depths of the wild Vietnam jungle, where it is almost impossible to escape and stay alive.
The script is very consistent and rich. Christian Bale, as almost as always, is incomparable and delightful in his role. You believe him and empathize. During the movie, he turns from a self-confident guy into a man who has understood, in his own skin, the difference between educational practice and the reality of war. Other actors also play with a high quality.
The only drawback for me is how poorly was shown of the plane crash at the beginning of the film, there were obviously problems with the special effects during the shooting of the film )
Someone may decides that the film is tightened and there is little action, but behind such silence lies the deepest drama. You can feel the lack of budget and there are some drawbacks, but the message and the idea are much higher than commercial success. You should only feel a little stronger desire of the heroes to live, to fight for their lives, to overcome obstacles and not to despair, and you as a spectator will not remain indifferent.
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $10,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $5,490,423
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $110,326
- Jul 8, 2007
- Gross worldwide
- $7,177,143
- Runtime2 hours 5 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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