Sahara (Widescreen Edition)
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Movie Reviews of Sahara (Widescreen Edition)
Movie Review: Love Dirk Pitt
Summary: 5 Stars
The movie was intriguing and action packed. It was a clever story and I enjoyed immensley.Movie Review: chick flick!
Summary: 5 Stars
wife made me buy it. i am not sorry i did. very funny and could watch it over again......Movie Review: (4-) Totally Ridiculous and Great Fun
Summary: 4 Stars
Caveat: I have not read Clive Cussler's book on which this film is based. Even so, it is clear that this screenplay is only a very loose adaptation of the book and that Dirk Pitts role in this film is an extreme caricature of his roles in the Cussler series in which he is the main protagonist.. The fact that I was familiar with NUMA and Pitts from Cussler's other works but couldn't compare this film to the novel in all likelihood increased my enjoyment of the movie.
Matthew McConaughey is cast as Dirk Pitts, intrepid NUMA (National Underwater and Marine Agency) explorer who is completing a mission off the African coast when he is contacted by a trader with a rare Confederate coin. It rekindles Dirk's quest for the legendary ironclad warship that supposedly somehow mysteriously disappeared over a century ago. Despite the reluctance of his (retired but with title intact) Admiral wonderfully played by William Macy, Dirk wheedles the use of the crew's powerboat to explore the Niger River in search of any traces of the lost ship. Those accompanying him include his sidekick Al Giordano (Steve Zahn) and Penelope Cruz, cast as the dedicated bush Doctor Rojas from the WHO (World Health Organization) who is trying to track down the cause of what appears to be a few cases which appear to indicate the potential for an outbreak of some unknown plague. They quickly arrive upriver in Mali, currently in the throes of a violent civil war. With this backdrop to establish the storyline, the pace accelerates and the audience's fun begins. Mystery, death, disease, drama, intrigue, war, pollution, several humorous interludes and even a touch of romance - the producer and director decided to touch all the bases. It is probably a little long, but it's so much fun and there are so few slow moments in the last ninety minutes that no one in the audience when I saw it seemed to get restless. WARNING: don't get to the theater late (very difficult in NYC with all the ads and previews), the first few minutes provide the crucial backstory for the rest of the film.
This is the type of extreme action/adventure film that appeals to moviegoers who just want to be entertained with an interesting even if totally implausible storyline and lots of over the top action sequences. While it might be labeled a thriller, I hesitate to do so even though the main characters almost continually find themselves in unbelievably tense and dangerous situations. The reason is that this is the type of movie that was popularized by the INDIANA JONES series (which it much more resembles than JAMES BOND); the action is stylized, the story is high drama but totally unrealistic, and the theatergoers never share the tension of the participants because we know that the good guys will remain alive (with minimal collateral damage) and the bad guys will get their due in grand fashion - we just don't know how it will all work out in view of the overwhelming odds against the eventual heroes. However, there is neither enough realism for us to be drawn into the action as vicarious participants or enough uncertainty about the broad outlines of the outcome to qualify for my definition of a thriller.
So my four star rating is a reflection of the fact that this film fulfills the goal of its creators and producers - lighthearted entertainment. It reminds us that movies can be enjoyable and provoke laughter without gory violence (although there are plenty of dead bodies). While I don't think that it quite deserves a full four stars on my usual rating scale, it sure was too much fun to downgrade more than minimally below that level. If you want to see a moving drama, memorable character studies, outstanding performances, relevance to the real world or a potential classic, then skip SAHARA - if you're willing to suspend belief and travel through the desert of Mali for a while with Dirk and his friends, you'll have a great time.
Tucker Andersen
Movie Review: Dirk and Al, together again for the first time, search for a ship in the desert
Summary: 4 Stars
I have not yet read any of Clive Cussler's novels, but given how vehemently his fans are insisting that his books are so much better than this movie I will have to check them out because this movie is pretty good (and Cussler signed off on the script and the casting, which certainly undercuts complaints about the same). Of course, any movie that begins with a Civil War ironclad going down a river with guns blazing is going to appeal to me (although my wife thought I have started playing the wrong movie). Then again, it was really upsetting at the film's climax to see the C.S.S. Texas getting shot up. Yes, I know it is just a film, but the thought of finding such a Civil War artifact intact only to have it immediately start getting shot up momentarily took me back to the real world, which is a mistake because realism is not the name of the game here.
"Sahara" begins at the end of the Civil War, as the Confederate ironclad Texas escapes from a burning Richmond carrying the gold supply of the Confederacy. It disappears into history, where the lost ship becomes the latest obsession of Dirk Pitt (Matthew McConaughey), who believes the Texas crossed the Atlantic and ended up somewhere in Africa (do not ask "how," because an explanation is not forthcoming and you know from the title of the film that Dirk is right on this score). Dirk is partnered with Al Giordino (Steve Zahn), and if you pay attention to the title sequence you get a visual tour of their career resumes. Technically the boys work for Admiral (Ret.) Jim Sandecker (William H. Macy), who has a hard time reining them in once Dirk finds another clue about the Texas.
Meanwhile, Dr. Eva Rojas (Penelope Cruz) of the World Health Organization has arrived in Africa with a team to find the source of a dangerous plague that has been spreading across the region. However, there is another problem in that Rojas is getting too close to the truth, which puts here in danger from the local dictator, General Kazim (Lennie James), and his partner, smarmy French rich guy, Yves Massarde (Lambert Wilson). Dirk becomes involved in this because he is making a habit of rescuing Eva, and because he is looking for the legendary ironclad in the same part of the continent. Al is along for the ride, as if Rudi Gunn (Rainn Wilson) for part of the way.
These narrative threads are used to connect the action sequences that are the main set pieces of this 2005 film from director Breck Eisner ("Thoughtcrimes"). The best of these is the speedboat one, involving the "Panama," which comes relatively early in the film. I want to ask, "Whatever happened to saving the best for last?" in a film like this, but it is not like they did that in "Raiders of the Lost Arc," so why should that happen here? Granted, "Sahara" is not as much fun as that classic film romp, but it was certainly more enjoyable than "National Treasure," probably because it is not as burdened by American history and national landmarks as that one (and McConaughey and Zahn both look buff enough to pull this stuff off in the world of movie reality).
Besides, I like a film where the chemistry between the two guys is better than the chemistry between the hero and the heroine, mainly because if this film is the start of a Dirk Pitt franchise, you know Al will be back but you have to expect a different female lead in each subsequent film. I especially liked Sandecker's third demand at the end of the film and to tell the truth, knowing nothing about the original novels, I would much rather see the team in action than Dirk teaming up with somebody new in each film. For me the end result is that "Sahara" is an enjoyable action romp of the brainless variety. But if you want more, then look elsewhere.
Movie Review: Cussler-inspired movie is great, zany fun!
Summary: 4 Stars
The movie SAHARA proves on indisputable fact. Most reviewers would not know entertainment if it came along and bonked them on the head. The movie, based on the novel of the same name, is high-standard entertainment that has enough drama, humor and good natured fun to fill a couple of movies. It also avoids being pretentious unlike some other big budget movies I could mention.
This movie was unfairly targeted as an Indiana Jones clone. Sure the two have obvious comparisons - both searching for historic treasure - but the reviewers fail to comprehend that Cussler was writing Dirk Pitt novels over a decade before Harrison Ford donned the fedora and cracked the whip in 1981's RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK.
Pitt (and sidekick) Al Giodino are modern-day adventurers whose quest to explore the deep oceans often lead them into high adventure against improbable villains. Here, the two search for a civil-era Confederate iron-clad that Pitt firmly believes is in Africa. Of course everyone around him scoffs at the notion, but Pitts belief is further reinforced when he discovers a coin from the ship.
Joining Matthew Conaughey and Steve Zahn (as Pitt and Giordino respectively) is Penelope Cruz as a World Health Organization scientist out to investigate a mysterious plague - in a role which Cussler nominated Selma Hayek for. I have always found Cruz somewhat annoying in her other roles, but here she was actually a very appealing heroine.
The three take on a multi-millionaire industrialist and a two-bit African dictator and I found the journey of getting to the climactic confrontation to be highly entertaining.
I'm personally hoping to see one of Cussler's other novels (Night Probe) make it to the screen. That always seemed to me to be the most cinematic of the adventures and hopefully McConaughey and team get to film that one.
There are a number of differences between the filmed version of SAHARA and the Cussler book:
o In the movie Pitt is an ex-Navy Seal. In the novels, Pitt is a Major in the Air Force (technically, he is still on staff, but is "on loan" to Admiral Sandecker to work at NUMA).
o Dirk and Al are no longer former Air Force officers, on loan to NUMA as marine engineers/scientists. They are now ex-Navy SEALs who work for NUMA as treasure hunters. Ruins their credibility a bit, I think.
o NUMA is no longer a massive government agency dedicated to the preservation of lost nautical craft or concerned about the aquatic environment. It is a private-run organization dedicated to locating treasure and archeologic finds in aquatic areas. However there are hints at the end of the movie that NUMA may become more tied to the government.
o In the novel, Sahara begins for our heroes when they are confronted with the threat of the accelerated red tide. Along the way, they find out about the legend of a lost Confederate ironclad. In the movie, Dirk is, right off the bat, dedicated to finding the ironclad, giving him more the image of a shallow treasure hunter. It is during his search for the ship that he helps Eva Rojas in her search for the cause of the poisoned water and the accelerated red tide.
o The Rudi Gunn of the novels is Sandecker's enigmatic right-hand man. I say enigmatic because he is short, nerdy-looking, and appears rather unintimidating. However, he is a Naval officer who had served under Sandecker, and is EXTREMELY capable of handling himself in rough situations, holding his own with Dirk and Al. The film's Rudi is just a scientist, extremely nerdy, with no military experience.
o The humor is a little more dumbed down, I thought. There were several instances where Al acted quite a bit like...well, Steve Zahn.