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Rescue Dawn
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings(Flash is loading. If this text does not disappear you need to install the latest flash version)
Not age appropriate for kids under 13, age appropriate for kids over 15; suggested age 14. -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Intense POW film explores torture, survival.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 14–15
What to watch out for
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Violence:
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Sex:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
About Rescue Dawn
Parents need to know that this intense POW film isn't for younger viewers. The sometimes-bloody action (which is both heroic and not-so-heroic) is filtered through complicated historical and political contexts that aren't exactly kid friendly. Also, the prison camp abuse scenes are visceral and potentially upsetting, with violence that's both physical (beating, dragging, shooting, machete attacks) and psychological. Starving prisoners look extremely thin and weak; they also eat live maggots and a snake (these scenes are explicit). Characters smoke cigarettes, and there's some language, including "s--t."
Read our full review by Cynthia Fuchs
Families Can Talk About
- Families can talk about the impact of the movie's violent torture scenes. Which abuses are worse -- the physical ones or the psychological ones? Why? What is the effect of showing the violence from the victims' point of view? What statement is the movie making about prisoner abuse -- no matter who the prisoners or the captors are? How are the captors in this movie characterized? Is what they're doing different from what characters like Jack Bauer do to suspected terrorists on shows like 24? How?
Our Members Say
Most Recent Reviews
- I rate this title on for age 15 and give itMy concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
Pretty entertaining...
This movie was pretty good once it got going. However, there was some violence that sensitive teens may find a little much. The language consisted of about 15 S-words, and a few uses of many others. All in all, it was worth seeing at least once!
- I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
Christian Bale Scores Again...
Christian Bale has acted superbly in another movie. His performance was his best... except when he was a child acting in Empire of the Sun. The movie starts off with Dieter Dengler's first assignment as a naval aviator, and after a harrowing survival struggle ends back on his ship again. The movie's cinematography was like in Saving Private Ryan- a lot of handheld camera work that made you feel more like you were there. The directing was one of Werner Herzog's best efforts. Overall, the movie ranked right up their with The Great Escape in terms of escape movies. Well Done! -
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Ratings at a Glance
| 100% | of parents say it has language their kids can't use |
| 100% | of parents say it's too violent |
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