Sahara (2005)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Breck Eisner

Writers (WGA):

Clive Cussler (novel)
Thomas Dean Donnelly (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

8 April 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Comedy

Tagline:

Dirk Pitt. Adventure has a new name.

Plot:

Master explorer Dirk Pitt goes on the adventure of a lifetime of seeking out a lost Civil War battleship known as the "Ship of Death" in the deserts of West Africa while helping a UN doctor being hounded by a ruthless dictator.

Plot Keywords:

Ship | Africa | Doctor | Treasure | Warlord

Awards:

2 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Matthew McConaughey	...	Dirk Pitt
Steve Zahn	...	Al Giordino
Penélope Cruz	...	Eva Rojas
William H. Macy	...	Admiral Jim Sandecker
Rainn Wilson	...	Rudi Gunn
Delroy Lindo	...	Carl
Lambert Wilson	...	Yves Massarde
Lennie James	...	General Zateb Kazim
Robert Cavanah	...	Captain Tombs
Jude Akuwidike	...	Imam
Mark Aspinall	...	Lawyer
Rakie Ayola	...	Mrs. Nwokolo
Christopher Bello	...	Train Driver
Nicholas Beveney	...	Gunboat 1 Officer
Empotoe Bosage	...	Pick Up Truck Guard

Also Known As:

Sahara (Spain)
Sahara - Abenteuer in der Wüste (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for action violence.

Runtime:

124 min

Country:

UK | Spain | Germany | USA

Language:

English | French | Arabic

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Taiwan:PG-12 | Netherlands:12 (DVD rating) | Malaysia:U | Iceland:12 | South Korea:12 | Sweden:11 | Argentina:Atp | Australia:M | Brazil:12 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Czech Republic:12 | Finland:K-11 | Germany:12 | Ireland:12A | Norway:15 | Peru:PT | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | USA:PG-13 | Hong Kong:IIA | UK:12 (video rating) | UK:12A (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Delta del Ebro, Tarragona, Cataluña, Spain

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

An actual full-scale model of the Texas was built for the film. After the 1865 sequence was filmed, it was dismantled and reassembled in Morocco.

Goofs:

Continuity: As they are having dinner while going up the river just before the camera cuts to behind Dirk, Eva reaches for the bottle, as we look over his shoulder she's sitting back against the cushion. When the camera switches back to face Dirk they talk, then it switches to over his shoulder and she takes a swig from a glass, that she never had a chance to fill, and which wasn't even on the table.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Sailor Who Drops Gold: Sorry, captain.
Pilot, Ironclad: It's all right son, just keep moving. That's the future in your hands.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Across the Sands of Sahara (2005) (V)

Soundtrack:

Djole

Very Good - The flavor of Indy Jones, for modern times

I'll admit I've missed a lot of action movies released recently, because the subject matter didn't interest me all that much. The advance press for /Sahara/, with its obvious links to treasure hunting and to intrigue, led me to believe that I'd enjoy it more than, say, recent Vin Diesel work. And I was right.

Dirk Pitt is an Indiana Jones for the modern day. But he's more. There's an edge, an extra quality of "can do" that helps carry the improbabilities of the plot nicely.

If you liked /Raiders of the Lost Ark/ or /Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade/, you should go see this picture.

Some violence, mostly of the shoot-'em up variety, often more implied than "in your face" (and that's a good thing). Definitely intelligent and thoughtful story line.

Matthew McConaughey (Dirk Pitt) is easy to watch. Steve Zahn (Al Giordino) is near perfect as his sidekick. Penélope Cruz (Eva Rojas) holds her own against the bad guys. William H. Macy (Admiral James Sandecker) is excellent in his role as well.

It's fun, and it's worth full price admission. What could be better than that?