In between Batman films, we’re seeing Christian Bale pop up in all sorts of movies. From The Prestige to Harsh Times, to the upcoming 3:10 to Yuma – and now with Rescue Dawn, Bale is everywhere.

And that’s a good thing.

Bale is a great actor and proves it once again. He plays Dieter Dengler, a German-born American pilot during the beginning of the Vietnam War in this true story of Dengler being shot down and captured – and his daring escape.

Part of Bale’s great performance is his seemingly uncanny ear for accents. If you’ve ever seen him in an interview, he’s got a Welsh accent. It’s not that he hides his accent in this one with an American one – but his voice is suited for this character’s background. He sounds different than he did in Batman Begins or American Psycho.

As for the film itself, the pacing isn’t always the best. A close friend of mine once told me, regarding true stories being turned into movies, “Real life has great drama in it, just not always a good sense of timing,” and he’s right. The film has its intense, action-filled moments, but there are plenty of slow, dragged out parts of the movie as well that do not balance out like a typical movie would.

Most of the supporting cast does a decent job. Steve Zahn, known more for family movies and comedies, does a good job in this dramatic role in the supporting role of a fellow POW, DuaneJeremy Davies, who plays Gene, is so incredibly thin in this movie he looks unhealthy, though, it’s almost hard to look at him.

Obviously taken from real life, the complexities of the prisoners and the problems between them, from bickering to betrayal, play out well. When it comes to life and death, even people who we wouldn’t normally be considered “bad” people will kick into survival-mode and do what it takes to keep themselves alive. Although I’d love to believe I would sacrifice everything to save my friend, when it came down to it, and bullets were flying – what would I do in order to made sure I remain alive?

Overall, this is a movie that has some intense moments sandwiched between other moments which are dramatically less so. If you’re looking for wall-to-wall action, see Transformers, but if you have a little more patience, this movie isn’t a bad bet.