Welcome back to Movie Recap. Today I'm gonna show you a 2006 epic war drama film called,
Rescue Dawn. Spoiler's ahead. Sit back, relax and enjoy.
The movie opens with a shaky footage of a military fighter jet flying over a rural farming
area in the middle of the day. Without warning, the fighter jet drops two bombs to the field,
immediately destroying the farm crops and houses in its path. The film itself is set
in the height of the Vietnam War in the 1960s, and is inspired by real events in the life
of United States Navy pilot, Lt. Dieter Dengler.
Prior to their mission, the Navy squadron VA-145 attends a pre-mission briefing aboard
U.S. carrier ship, SS Ranger. The squadron's mission is to fly over the northern part of
Vietnam to cut off the enemy's supply line. The mission is deemed classified, and the
squad is reminded that they are not to speak about the mission to anyone, not even their
family and loved ones.
The squad goes on to prepare for their upcoming mission by watching a short film about how
to survive in the wilderness. As part of their mission preparations, the squad are allowed
to request for adjustments to the equipment and rations they are taking with them. Dengler
notably asks for a secret flap on his navy boots to conceal his American passport during
the mission.
During the final briefing, the squad leader gives his last reminders about the safety
of not only the mission, but of their entire operations. He cautions the squad about the
use of their military radio out on the field when they find themselves in danger. The military
has been receiving reports that the enemies have been able to intercept their radio signals
and have been using them to lure rescuers into an ambush.
On the day of the mission, four fighter jets set out on air with Dengler in lead command,
heading towards Laos in North Vietnam. While bombing his designated area, Dengler's jet
is shot on its left wing by enemies on the ground. Through his adept piloting, Dengler
is able to crash-land his jet and jump off to safety on the ground. Then, he quickly
flees the crash site by running into the jungle to escape Lao enemies who are chasing after
him.
Dengler tries to evade his pursuers by hiding in the jungle. Keeping the squad leader's
final directions in mind, he leaves his military radio behind underneath a pile of leaves before
venturing off deeper in the jungle.
When Dengler hears a US military helicopter flying overhead, he leaves his hiding place
in the thick jungle. Hoping to catch the attention of the rescue helicopter, he climbs on top
of a rock to try to signal to them when it circles back.
Failing to get noticed by the rescue helicopter, Dengler attempts to return to the jungle to
continue hiding from the enemies. Instead, he is found by his pursuers by a river as
he stopped for a quick drink under the intense tropical heat in Laos.
At first, Dengler is brought to a nearby residential village of the Lao people by his captors.
Dengler is tied up in the middle of the village to be ogled by the locals for a day before
he is taken away again.
In the jungle, Dengler's Lao captors torment him. The Lao enemies that captured him remain
nameless as they speak a different language. Dengler's Lao captors exhibit obvious hatred
and loathing toward him. They terrorize Dengler by shooting at him, without actually hitting
him, to terrify him.
The following day, the Lao enemies throw Dengler into a van and drive him into what appears
to be the capital of Laos. He is dragged into an ornate looking home, and is presented to
the provincial governor of Laos.
The provincial governor regards Dengler kindly, even offering him some water to drink. When
the provincial governor asks Dengler who he is, Dengler initially attempts to conceal
his identity as an American navy officer.
However, upon closer examination of the provincial governor, Dengler finally admits his true
identity, surrendering his US passport that he has kept in the secret flap of his boots.
Upon learning of Dengler's true identity, the provincial governor offers Dengler safety
and freedom if the navy officer would sign a document condemning America and its war
against the Lao people. When Dengler vehemently refuses the provincial governor's offer, he
is sent away.
Dengler's refusal to comply with the governor's offer resulted in him being tortured by his
Lao captors and ultimately sent to a prison camp back in the rural part of Laos. There,
the badly beaten up Dengler meets fellow war prisoners: foreigners Y.C., Phisit, and Procet,
and American pilots Eugene DeBruin and Duane Martin, some of whom have been captive for
years.
DeBruin takes Dengler aside for a walk around the prison camp to get him familiarized with
the local guards. In the morning, the prisoners are free to roam around the camp, but at night,
they are held inside a bamboo hut. When the prisoners are alone in their hut in the evenings,
they get the opportunity to talk among themselves without being overheard by the guards.
At first, Dengler tries to convince the other prisoners to join him to create a plan for
them to escape from the prison camp into the jungle. However, Martin cautions him against
this idea. Martin points out that the intense tropical heat in the jungle makes it impossible
for them to survive there without any water. And given that the rainy season is still a
few months away, Dengler's plan was simply impossible.
Aside from the impossible survival circumstances that await them in the jungle, the prisoners
point out to Dengler that escaping in the night will be highly difficult, too. In the
evenings, the prisoners, although left alone in their huts, are heavily tied up with handcuffs
and foot restraints.
After observing the types of restraints the prisoners are put in at night, Dengler creates
a plan to relieve them of these shackles to gain the trust of his co-prisoners and build
up their confidence that they may have a chance of escaping.
The prisoners work together the next morning to steal a nail from one of the guard houses.
When the prisoners are all back into their hut that night, with their handcuffs and foot
restraints, Dengler uses their stolen nail pick at the handcuffs and shimmy the lock
of their foot restraints off. This finally allows the prisoners to have a little freedom
at least at night. Dengler's resourcefulness earns him the trust of the other prisoners,
and they finally believe in Dengler's ability to break them free from the camp.
The next morning, fighter jets fly over the prison camp and anger the guards. In a rage
of fury, one of the guards shoots at Martin. The bullet barely misses Martin's head and
he is left with a flesh wound on the side of his face.
One evening, DeBruin speaks to the group. DeBruin tries to convince Dengler to abandon
his plan to break free from the prison. He tells Dengler that his plan to escape only
puts all of their lives in danger. DeBruin threatens to scream and alert the guards should
Dengler move forward with his escape plan.
A few days later, the prisoners have a small celebration for Dengler's birthday. Dengler,
in turn, gives the prisoners a gift. First, he gives them two make-shift knives he made
from old bullet casings. Then, he shares with them his new plan. Instead of escaping to
the jungle, he explains that the plan now is to take control over the prison camp. He
says that that should buy them some time to signal for rescue to the US helicopters that
frequently fly overhead.
The prisoners agree to execute their planned takeover on July 4, America's Independence
Day. They take a few days to fully work out the details of their mission and observe the
guards to study their routines. Dengler discovered that the guards leave their guns unattended
when they go to the kitchen to eat everyday.
At night, the prisoners carefully create an escape hatch at the floor of their hut. Dengler
carefully sneaks out through the secret hatch at night to map out a path that they will
follow towards the outside fence. Dengler also loosens a section of the outside fence
for them to use to head to the kitchen to overpower the prison guards.
However, one day, Y.C. overhears a conversation between some of the guards. Since Y.C. can
understand the local language, he is able to translate and relay the conversation he
heard to the rest of the prisoners. They discover that the guards plan to kill the prisoners
and make it look like they attempted to escape, so the guards can finally go back to their
own villages.
The unexpected threat of the guards makes Dengler decide to immediately execute their
plan. Instead of the original scheduled take over on July 4th, they will now act on the
very next day to avoid being killed by the guards.
Early the next day, the prisoners execute their plan. Dengler goes over the entire operation
with the prisoners one last time before heading out. The plan involves the prisoners to be
separated into two groups, Dengler and Martin in one, and DeBruin with the rest. The two
groups will head out in separate directions from the outside fence and meet up at exactly
the same time at the kitchen in order to subdue the guards.
Dengler heads out of the hut first to collect the guns the guards leave unattended before
their meals. Dengler returns to the prisoners with the guns, and distributes them to the
men.
When Dengler and Martin arrive at the kitchen, they are the only ones there. They shoot at
the guards, killing them, however, one is able to escape. This changes their course
of action completely, because now, the prisoners cannot stay in the camp much longer because
the Viet Cong will be arriving any time soon.
Dengler confronts the other team of prisoners about abandoning the mission. He sends DeBruin,
Y.C., Phisit, and Procet away for not following the original plan and causing the mission
to take a turn for the worse. Dengler and Martin escape into the jungle to try to find
freedom by way of Thailand.
As it happens, the rainy season has begun in the jungle, so Dengler and Martin are able
to survive with some water. They fashion a makeshift raft to float down a small river
hoping to find the larger Mei Cong river which will allow them to cross over and eventually
escape to Thailand. Unfortunately, Dengler and Martin's raft is
swept off as they approach a dangerous waterfall. The two men were fortunate enough to be able
to swim to the shore before being swept up with the current and falling off the edge
of the falls.
Dengler and Martin venture through the jungle in search of safety. When they find an abandoned
village in the jungle, Dengler sets fire to the ruined huts to create a smoke signal for
the U.S. helicopters flying overhead. Unfortunately, the helicopters mistake them to be enemies
and fire at them with guns, instead.
Failing to get rescued, the two men move forward through the jungle and find another small
village. As Martin starts to weaken, the two men resolve to surrender in the village and
beg the villagers for food, instead. However, they are met with hostility, and Martin is
immediately killed by the villagers.
Shocked by the violence and anger of the villagers towards them, Dengler threatens the villagers
with his machete and runs back to the jungle to escape again. Overcome with exhaustion
and starvation, Dengler hallucinates the ghost of his companion, Martin.
Now fending for himself alone, Dengler spends his days in the jungle by the riverbank and
hunting animals for survival. When a U.S. scout plane flies overhead, Dengler is finally
discovered and rescued.
The rescued pilot, Dengler, is sent to an army hospital to recuperate and to be treated
for his injuries. He is, however, sequestered by the CIA due to the classified nature of
his original operation. Dengler is eager to return to the naval ship SS Ranger to be with
his original squad, but the CIA is adamant to keep him away.
The ingenious members of Navy squadron VA-145 devise their own rescue mission to bring Dengler
back to their ship. A few good men from Dengler's squad show up at the army hospital with a
birthday cake on a push cart for Dengler. They ask the CIA agents to give them a few
moments alone with their squad member to celebrate his birthday. The CIA agents agree to step
outside.
They subsequently hide Dengler under the cake cart to wheel their comrade off to freedom.
Successfully tricking the CIA, the squad brings Dengler back to his naval ship.
The movie ends with Dengler finally making his way back aboard his naval ship, SS Ranger.
He is met by the entire ship's crew erupting in loud cheers and applause as they welcome
Lt. Dengler back to the safety of their fold.