Little Dieter Needs to Fly

Little Dieter Needs to Fly

In 1966, Dieter Dengler was shot down over Laos, captured, and, down to 85 pounds, escaped.

1997•1h 17m•7.5/10

Documentary

Ratings

🎬TMDb

7.5/10(97)

Three decades after German-American pilot Dieter Dengler was shot down over Laos, he returns to the places where he was held prisoner during the early years of the Vietnam War. Accompanied by director Werner Herzog, Dengler describes in unusually candid detail his captivity, the friendships he made, and his daring escape. Not willing to stop there, Herzog even persuades his subject to re-enact certain tortures, with the help of some willing local villagers.

Open in PickFlick

Production

Werner Herzog Filmproduktion, ZDF

Language

EN

Status

Released

Release Date

Trailers & Videos

Cast

Werner Herzog

Werner Herzog

Narrator (voice)

Dieter Dengler

Self

Eugene Deatrick

Self

Recommended

We Were Soldiers

We Were Soldiers

The year is 1965 and America is at war with North Vietnam. Commanding the air cavalry is Lt. Col. Hal Moore (Gibson), a born leader committed to his troops. His target: the Ia Drang Valley, called "The Valley of Death." As Moore prepares for one of the most violent battles in U.S. history, he delivers a stirring promise to his soldiers and their families: "I will leave no man behind...dead or alive. We will all come home together."

We Were Soldiers

2002

7.1

The Great Raid

The Great Raid

As World War II rages, the elite Sixth Ranger Battalion is given a mission of heroic proportions: push 30 miles behind enemy lines and liberate over 500 American prisoners of war.

The Great Raid

2005

6.5

Rambo: First Blood Part II

Rambo: First Blood Part II

John Rambo is released from prison by the government for a top-secret covert mission to the last place on Earth he'd want to return - the jungles of Vietnam.

Rambo: First Blood Part II

1985

6.7

Missing in Action

Missing in Action

American servicemen are still being held captive in Vietnam and it's up to one man to bring them home in this blistering, fast-paced action/adventure starring martial arts superstar Chuck Norris. Following a daring escape from a Vietnamese POW camp, Special Forces Colonel James Braddock (Norris) is on a mission to locate and save remaining MIAs.

Missing in Action

1984

5.9

Why We Fight

Why We Fight

Is American foreign policy dominated by the idea of military supremacy? Has the military become too important in American life? Jarecki's shrewd and intelligent polemic would seem to give an affirmative answer to each of these questions.

Why We Fight

2005

7.5

Hearts and Minds

Hearts and Minds

Many times during his presidency, Lyndon B. Johnson said that ultimate victory in the Vietnam War depended upon the U.S. military winning the "hearts and minds" of the Vietnamese people. Filmmaker Peter Davis uses Johnson's phrase in an ironic context in this anti-war documentary, filmed and released while the Vietnam War was still under way, juxtaposing interviews with military figures like U.S. Army Chief of Staff William C. Westmoreland with shocking scenes of violence and brutality.

Hearts and Minds

1974

7.7

The Bloody Hundredth

The Bloody Hundredth

Meet the real-life airmen who inspired Masters of the Air as they share the harrowing and transformative events of the 100th Bomb Group.

The Bloody Hundredth

2024

7.1

The Delta Force

The Delta Force

A 707 aircraft jetliner, en route from Athens to Rome and then to New York City, is hijacked by Lebanese terrorists, who demand that the pilot take them to Beirut. What the terrorists don't realize is that an elite team of commandos have been called in to eliminate all terrorists on the jetliner.

The Delta Force

1986

6.0

USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage

USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage

The harrowing true story of the crew of the USS Indianapolis, who were stranded in the Philippine Sea for five days after delivering the atomic weapons that would eventually end WWII. As they awaited rescue, they endured extreme thirst, hunger, and relentless shark attacks.

USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage

2016

5.9

First Blood

First Blood

When former Green Beret John Rambo is harassed by local law enforcement and arrested for vagrancy, he is forced to flee into the mountains and wage an escalating one-man war against his pursuers.

First Blood

1982

7.5

The Rocketeer

The Rocketeer

A stunt pilot comes across a prototype jetpack that gives him the ability to fly. However, evil forces of the world also want this jetpack at any cost.

The Rocketeer

1991

6.5

Prisoner of War

Prisoner of War

British RAF Wing Commander James Wright is captured by the Japanese during WWII and forced to fight in brutal hand-to-hand combat. The Japanese soldiers get more than they bargained for when Wright’s years of martial arts training in Hong Kong prove him to be a formidable opponent.

Prisoner of War

2025

7.1

Similar Movies

A Bastard Child

A Bastard Child

In 1909, in an undemocratic Sweden, a bastard child is born and given the name of Hervor. Her mother is unmarried, due to which she is called a "whore' and is driven from her home. Hervor grows up at shelters and orphanages, unwanted, rejected by society. As an adult she spends her life struggling for social justice. In old age she tells us her story. Director Knutte Wester brings his grandmother's memories to life thought hand-painted animated images and has us witness someone being rejected in order to unite others. A story that all too often still repeating itself.

A Bastard Child

2017

After Innocence

After Innocence

A moving account of the experiences of men exonerated after years, and sometimes decades, in prison following newly found DNA evidence.

After Innocence

2005

6.9

Carrier at War: The USS Enterprise

Carrier at War: The USS Enterprise

Going from 0 to 150 mph in three seconds, withstanding three Gs of force, and taking off from what's often called "the most dangerous place on the planet" are just parts of everyday life for an aircraft carrier pilot-and it's no different for the crew aboard the USS Enterprise. After being stationed in the Middle East for a year, these pilots have seen heavy action in Afghanistan and Iraq. Now, finally, they're returning home. With amazing personal stories and real-time footage from missions, this is an exciting insider's peek at life onboard a wartime aircraft carrier.

Carrier at War: The USS Enterprise

2007

Vjeran Tomic: The Spider-Man of Paris

Vjeran Tomic: The Spider-Man of Paris

In his own words, the burglar behind the 2010 robbery of the Paris Museum of Modern Art tells how he pulled off the biggest art heist in French history.

Vjeran Tomic: The Spider-Man of Paris

2023

7.0

Night and Fog

Night and Fog

Filmmaker Alain Resnais documents the atrocities behind the walls of Hitler's concentration camps.

Night and Fog

1956

8.3

Ma Traversée

Ma Traversée

Ma traversée is a personal quest, filmed over 20 years, recounting the racial issues and privileges that have punctuated the filmmaker’s life in three French-speaking societies: Guadeloupe, France and Quebec. From her own story emerges the broader narrative of colonization, colorism, assimilation, integration and the social benefits of “race” and their impact even today. Brutalized by police officers in Montreal in December 2017 in front of witnesses, the filmmaker takes a step back to understand this gesture, which speaks to the social interpretation of skin color.

Ma Traversée

2023

9.0

Kina & Yuk

Kina & Yuk

Kina & Yuk are two Arctic foxes, ready to start a family. But the climate is warmer, and the food is more and more rare. Kina & Yuk are obliged to venture far and far away.

Kina & Yuk

2023

6.8

The History Channel - Sniper - Deadliest Missions

No overview available.

The History Channel - Sniper - Deadliest Missions

2010

The Pleasant Valley War

The Pleasant Valley War

The incredible true story of America's bloodiest family feud told through a combination of documentary interviews and traditional Western scenes tracking the fallout between the Grahams and Tewksburys which led to a ten year battle and cost up to fifty lives.

The Pleasant Valley War

2021

Das Dorf der Freundschaft

A German Documentary about the “village of friendship” that was created by American Veteran George Mizo to help the Vietnamese kids suffering from the Vietnam War.

Das Dorf der Freundschaft

2001

9.0

Dateline: Saigon

Dateline: Saigon

How does a nation slip into war? Dateline-Saigon profiles the controversial reporting of five Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists -The New York Times' David Halberstam, the Associated Press' Malcolm Browne, Peter Arnett, and legendary photojournalist Horst Faas, and UPI's Neil Sheehan -- during the early years of the Vietnam War as President John F. Kennedy is secretly committing US troops to what is initially dismissed by some as 'a nice little war in a land of tigers and elephants.' 'When the government is telling the truth, reporters become a relatively unimportant conduit to what is happening,' Halberstam tells us. 'But when the government doesn't tell the truth, begins to twist the truth, hide the truth, then the journalist becomes involuntarily infinitely more important.'

Dateline: Saigon

2017

8.0

Flying Supersonic

Flying Supersonic

Thundering across the sky on elegant white wings, the Concorde was an instant legend. But behind the glamour of jet setting at Mach 2 were stunning scientific innovations and political intrigue. Fifteen years after Concorde's final flight, this documentary takes you inside the historic international race to develop the first supersonic airliner. Hear stories from those inside the choreographed effort to design and build Concorde in two countries at once - and the crew members who flew her.

Flying Supersonic

2018

8.0

PickFlick Assistant

Hi! I'm your PickFlick Assistant. Ask me about movies, TV shows, OTT sources, or anything about PickFlick.

Powered by CopilotKit