Little Dieter Needs to Fly

Dieter Dengler was a German-born United States Navy pilot. His aircraft was shot down over Laos during the Vietnam War; he was captured, escaped the camp and was rescued after weeks in the jungle. His own telling sits at the centre of the film. Werner Herzog directed. He and Dengler share ground: both grew up in post-war Germany among ruins. Dengler's wish to fly began while watching Allied fighter-bombers level his own village. He later flew Douglas A-1 Skyraiders with an attack squadron off the USS Ranger. The documentary does not settle for straight interview. Most of its middle section comes from a trip Herzog took with Dengler back to Laos and Thailand to recreate his ordeal three decades after the fact. Roger Ebert gave three and a half stars out of four. Rotten Tomatoes sits at 93 percent. Herzog told the same story again as fiction in 2007, as Rescue Dawn, with Christian Bale as Dengler. Who it is for: viewers who like survival accounts and Herzog's way of looking at people. Who it is not for: anyone bothered by reenactment in documentary. The film deliberately blurs the line between what happened and what is staged.