MovieChat Forums > Rescue Dawn (2007) Discussion > Main character ... bad

Main character ... bad

posted 13 years ago by bastasch8647
2 replies | jump to latest

I don't know if my problem is with Bale or with Dieter, but the character as written, and as acted by Bale, was just a loser. He doesn't project indominatable high spirits; rather, he projects smart-ass overconfidence and a twinge of hyperactive narcissism bordering on insanity.

Surviving his ordeal doesn't make him a hero, which makes the over-the-top ending back on his home aircraft carrier a celebration for a dildo. The character doesn't "serious up" long enough for us to feel ANY of his distress, self-doubt, fear and agony. Either he had none of these human frailties - in which case he was only a grinning sociopath; or the script didn't capture the real Dieter's purported humanity. This guy is a joke, and a joker, all the way through the film. The only human feeling he projected was in rare "survival tenderness" scenes with Zahn, and in his short prayer asking God to help them in their desperation. But that's all, in a long, long, movie. If only this film had featured a truly sympathetic, deep, complex protagonist. If only.

[–] mastholte 13 years ago

So you knew real Dieter personally, am I right?

[–] infinity8 12 years ago

Does surviving an ordeal make anyone a hero? Bad things happen to good and bad people. Most people would try to survive a life-threatening situation, though not everyone is capable of it. The movie's Dieter survives because he is smart, willing to do whatever he must, and has the guts to try to escape prison. None of this means that he must be a good man. Even someone who is a good man might not seem to bee very human in extreme circumstances. In survival situations, it can help people to be a bit emotionally shut down--it helps them to focus on their survival. It doesn't make them sociopaths.

The more emotional characters played by Steve Zahn and Jeremy Davies can't escape on their own. Only Dieter is single-minded enough to survive. That doesn't make him better than the other men and it doesn't make him worse. It just makes him a survivor.