Hi all…

Had a chance to watch Rescue Dawn on DVD a few weeks ago, (I’m way behind on my reviews) and I have to say that though it’s not exactly what I expected, I enjoyed it. What surprised me was Steve Zahn. I knew Christian Bale could act. But Zahn?

You can see more about this movie here at IMDB.

This is the story about a pilot being shot down in a mission over Laos during the Vietnam War. He survived the crash, and was captured as a POW and placed with several other prisoners. He eventually stages an escape and gets rescued (thus “Rescue” in the title).

What I found interesting was that this wasn’t really the movie I was expecting. I was expecting something grittier - more like Full Metal Jacket or Platoon. This, though disturbing in parts, didn’t have the emotional impact of some of those earlier, more visual movies.

What I found amazing was the fact that Steve Zahn could act! I liked him in Sahara with Matthew McConaughey, but he played the smart aleck sidekick. In Rescue Dawn, I saw emotions! This was a serious movie, albeit with some levity to break up the tension, but it was a serious role for Zahn.

So it’s not going to hold up (IMHO) against some of the other classic war movies, but it was pretty good. I’m giving it 2.5/4.

Here’s hoping that a serious role doesn’t scare Steve Zahn off from other movies!

–Fitz