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Sahara - released April 8th, 2005
Studio: Paramount/Bristol Bay
MPAA Rating: PG13
Runtime: 127 minutes
Director:
Breck Eisner (Thoughtcrimes, Taken)
Writers:
Clive Cussler (novel)
Thomas Dean Donnelly (screenplay)
Joshua Oppenheimer (screenplay)
James V. Hart (screenplay)
Cast:
Matthew McConaughey (A Time To Kill, Contact, EdTV, Reign Of Fire) as Dirk Pitt
Penelope Cruz (Blow, Capt. Corelli's Mandolin, Vanilla Sky, Gothika) as Dr. Eva Rojas
Steve Zahn (Out Of Sight, You've Got Mail, National Security) as Al Giordino
Lambert Wilson (The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Timeline) as Yves Massarde
William H. Macy (Air Force One, Fargo, Pleasantville, Jurassic Park III) as Admiral Sandecker
Delroy Lindo (Ransom, Romeo Must Die, Gone In 60 Seconds, The Core) as Carl
Based on the Dirk Pitt series of action-adventure novels by Clive Cussler, Sahara finds Dirk off the coast of central Africa looking for an ancient king's tomb. By luck (or misfortune) he falls into step with a pair of W.H.O. doctors trying to track down the source of a plague outbreak (it being Dirk, of course one of the doctors is a georgeous woman). On the side, he's also looking for the remains of a Confederate iron-clad battleship that disappeared with the fall of Richmond at the end of the American Civil War - yes, in Africa. Dirk, his sidekick Al Giordino, the docs and Rudi Gunn all head up-river into. . . . Nope, that's as far as I go.
Honestly, I must admit I went in with really low expectations for this film. Maybe that helped, but having seen it I have to admit I had a good bit of fun, some laughs and one or two groans. It's not great cinema - it's just good summer (okay, April) tongue-firmly-in-cheek mindless fun fare. Take a fairly stock good guys/bad guys/damsel in distress storyline, throw in some nice toys like cigarette boats, tanks, helicopters, ancient "ships of death" and such, then most importantly stir in actors and actresses that look like they are having fun doing what they do, are easy to like/hate and presto! You've got something that may just work, and in this case I think it did, to a point. Sahara comes out as a cross between Indiana Jones-lite, the Hope & Crosby road movies and the recent National Treasure. There are some moments where your credulity will be stretched, but fortunately the really corny moments are held to one or two. The chemistry between McConaughey, Zahn and Ms. Cruz is evident and keeps you pleasantly involved even through those "groaner" moments.
Visually, it was nicely shot with a neutral color palette. No mood filtering here. For a Dirk Pitt adventure, surprisingly there was almost NO underwater activity at all. Oh, it is called Sahara isn't it? Detail is a mixed bag. Some closeups are nice, clean and sharp, while some medium and long shots look almost blurred at times. Other times it's the opposite. Ahh, add together and divide by two. . . .
Sonically, most of the sounds were focused on the front and front-side speakers with only a moderate amount of use out of the side and rear surounds. Dynamics are good and dialog is clear. Nothing spectacular here, although a really good aggressive DVD mix would help once you have it at home.
Overall, it's a decent matinee movie, or at least a DVD renter once it's released. Don't spend your money on a full-rate ticket unless you are a gonzo action-adventure movie lover, or a stark raving fan of Messrs. McConaughey, Cruz or Zahn.
I give Sahara :25: out of :5:.
opcorn: flick and thats it. Rent only.
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