A gritty Vietnam war epic is hailed by fans as an underrated “masterpiece” and is Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Rescue Dawn (2006) is written and directed by German auteur Werner Herzog, fictionalised tale based on the true story of Dieter Dengler, a German-American pilot who was shot down over Laos during the Vietnam war.

Dengler (played by Christian Bale) is taken prisoner by enemy soldiers along with fellow Americans Gene DeBruin (Jeremy Davies) and Duane W. Martin (Steve Zahn). But while the circumstances appear bleak for Dengler and his fellow inmates, he’s determined to escape.

One Audience Writer on Rotten Tomatoes called the fim “riveting”, adding: “That’s the only word that I could possibly use to describe this entirely underrated Vietnam War film.

“Werner Herzog created a masterpiece that unfortunately no-one went to see.”

The film was regarded as a commercial failure reportedly taking in $7,177,143 (£5.3m) at the box office against an estimated budget of $10million. But critics and fans are full of praise for the war drama, which has become something of a cult favourite.

Another added: “Underrated film. Painful yet enjoyable story with some better than average cinematography.”

A third said: “This is a very good effort by Werner Herzog and Christian Bale. Bale has never gone for a project that wasn’t in some way a worthy venture and this is certainly no exception.

“I love the jungle locations and the stellar casting. The characters that populate this story are vivid and memorable, and the pacing is just right.

Another fan on IMDb said the film was a tough watch.

“I was definitely invested and felt like I was put through an emotional wringer as the film doesn’t give you much cause for hope,” they wrote.

“I found myself worn down as the character began to reach his limits. He couldn’t seem to bear much more pain (physically or emotionally,) and I was ready to give up on the film because it was so dire and depressing, but the chance they might try to escape gave me enough to endure.”

The film is rated 12, and contains strong language and moderate violence, according to the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC).

The film is well regarded among critics and has a strong 90% score on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer (which reflects the percentage of approved critics who have gave it a positive review).

Rescue Dawn is available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime and Apple TV.