In Werner Herzog's survival thriller Rescue Dawn, a lean Christian Bale plays German-born US fighter pilot Dieter Dengler, shot down and captured in the jungles of Laos in the Vietnam War, 1965. He refuses an easy way out, having been invited by his captors to denounce America, which is something Dengler won't do. From then on has to rely on ever-increasing powers of resourcefulness to survive along with other prisoners (Zahn & Davies) imprisoned in the same delapidated bamboo huts.

Herzog's film has echoes of two of his previous classics, Fitzcarraldo and Aguirre Wrath of God in pitting a man fighting against elements beyond his control in the jungle. Herzog directs tightly, aided by Bale's livewire performance as Dengler in a film that is pleasingly not wholly predictable.

The story, which is based on truth, plays out as a straight action survival thriller. One could easily admire the resourcefulness, optimism and courage of Dieter Dengler, a man prepared never to give up, whatever the odds.

The part is tailor-made for Christian Bale largely because of his role in a similar film where he had to lose weight, namely The Machinist. Bale brings out both the inner determination of Dengler and his sense of humour. He's a very watchable actor, arguably the best and the most driven actor on the circuits at the moment.