Sahara (2005)

It had been proposed by some that the only reason Eisner Jr. (Breck) was allowed to make this film was his relationship with Eisner Sr. (Michael). While there is no proof for such an argument either way, Breck has proved to be not much worse than other directors. In fact he did better than most and worse than some. Sahara is best described as a typical entertaining adventure in the vein of Indiana Jones or perhaps National Treasure. It has a tough good guy (McConaughey), a funny sidekick (Zane) and admirable eye-candy (Cruz). Now I admit that most things are quite shallow, but if you mix all of the above mentioned ingredients with a decent story, good action sequences and throw in the fact that there isn't one nanosecond of corniness in this movie, you inevitably end up with a crowd pleasing blockbuster.

7,25 out of 10

Fmovies: I expected nothing from this movie and was pleasantly surprised, even refreshed. All of the characters had a reason to be where they were, even the female character. Her mission is actual more compelling than the lead's. The sidekick, Al (Steve Zahn), is not just a buddy along for the ride. It's clear that the lead wouldn't be able to do what he does without him. Beside, Zahn is just damn funny.

It didn't require my full capacity to suspend disbelief, which was especially refreshing and left mental reserves to actually appreciate the characters and story.

I was pleased to recognize drum rhythms that were actually from Nigeria and Mali. Indigenous music enhanced the adventure of by taking us there. The locations were filled out, and not just a backdrop for the action.

Go ahead and watch it. It's not as cheesy as it looks.

Nice popcorn flick. The acting is good and Matthew McConaughey looks just the part of Dirk Pitt. The rest of the cast is also good. Steve Zahn had the best part I think. The character wasn't that of the typical sidekick and the director takes this into consideration by giving Al as much screen time as Dirk.I read the novel too and still found the film entertaining. There were a couple of scenes which made me laugh in disbelief, but the film needed such stuff. Dirk Pitt, the resourceful adventurer always turns adversity into advantage and this film tried pretty well to depict that. Also, the dialog between Dirk & Al is good. Only thing I felt out of order was Rudi being depicted as a complete nerd. Still makes a good viewing, though it helps not being hypercritical.

Sahara fmovies. I just saw this movie at the Philadelphia screening, and I'm going to agree with the 8 star rating it has garnered so far. We all know the formula for this sort of movie, and yes, Sahara does follow the formula pretty closely, but it's enjoyable nonetheless.

It's an action movie, if that wasn't entirely clear. Simply put, if you like action movies, see this movie. If you don't, don't. The film follows our hero – ex-marine treasure hunter Dirk Pitt – and his friends through Africa as they uncover evil plots, fight bad guys, and search for treasure. While there aren't any surprising twists in the plot, I do admit that it was not completely predictable. The plot has enough originality in it to keep you watching. True to it's genre, the plot delivers plenty of action. It's not to stylized (Matrix) or epic (Lord of the Rings) but it won't let you down. The ending is just about as slam-bang as you'd expect, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

Dirk Pitt is played by Matthew McConaughey, who happened to speak before the movie was shown. Apparently he'd been involved in the movie as more than just an actor – he is one of the executive producers, a role he takes seriously (he said he'd had the opportunity to produce other films but turned them down, not wanting to get involved in something unless he was really going to commit to actually working on it). McConaughey said that he'd been trying to get the role for seven years, and is quite pleased with the result. When asked if he planned to produce future movies, he gave a definitive "yes". He also hinted at the possibility of a sequel, if this movie does well, noting that there are sixteen more books by the author this script was based on.

McConaughey plays Pitt well. It's a pretty standard action-hero role. McConaughey's performance isn't particularly ground-breaking, but he throws the punches and delivers the lines with appropriate demeanor. My only complaint would be that he is a little too cool at times, given the stressful situations... but then again this movie wasn't made for realism. Al Giordino is Dirk's more technically minded buddy and co-adventurer. They've been friends since kindergarten, how sweet. Oh and you guessed it. Al is our comic-relief guy. Al is played by Steve Zahn, who delivers the comic relief character in a manner slightly less cliché than I was expecting. It just works a little better because he really does come off naturally as Dirk's long time friend, as opposed to some wise-ass who's just here for the ride. The chemistry between McConaughey and Zahn is very effective, as the previous reviewer pointed out. They really do appear more as two guys trying to get something done as opposed a hero and a side-kick. Also worth mentioning is Rainn Wilson who plays Rudi. Rudi is basically another comic-relief guy who has much less screen time then Zahn, but Wilson did a nice job. William H. Macy plays the commander type character, Dirks boss. Not Macy's best job in my opinion, it was a bit stilted – but with some funny moments. Lambert Wilson, of Matrix fame (The Merovingian) stars as well. I was a little disappointed to see him early on in the film, cause it was one of those moments where I just knew that he was going to turn out to be a bad guy. He does pretty well, although he seems to be doing just a slightly toned-down version of the Merovingian here. Ah, and let's not forget Penélope Cruz. Our heroine, the W.H.O. doctor, does just fine

Bring on Dirk Pitt! Here is a movie that wants to have fun, the cast wants to have fun. The audience ends up having fun. Steve Zahn is hilarious. Matthew McConaughey handles the limited demands of his role quite well. Penelope Cruz brings her ever-present charm and beauty to a role which is notable for being one of the few action-adventure roles written for a female that is not obnoxious in recent memory. You can't take your eyes off William H. Macy whenever he is on screen in ANY movie. He's that good.

It's kind of a Bond meets Indiana Jones film (I swear they used the same canyon from "Raiders of the Lost Ark") The villains are one dimensional, but who cares? We are here to follow the exploits of our heroes. If we have to suspend our disbelief, we do it willingly because we are grinning ear to ear.

As a fan of Clive Cussler I was pretty excited when I heard this movie was being made. I went to see the movie with only two hopes. First that I wouldn't be disappointed as I was with Hollywood's poor attempt at "Raise The Titanic". And secondly as a loyal fan of Mr Cussler's books (I have them all and read them all) joy at finally seeing Dirk, Al, Rudi, and Sandecker all come to life.

I was not disappointed. The film makers did rearrange the story a bit (treasure hunters instead of the research scientists), Sandecker retired (not in his usual office at NUMA). They omitted a few details from the book (such as Lincoln being on the Texas and Kitty Mancock the pilot of the plane, and of course the scene in the book where the author himself appears) but overall I just LOVED this movie. It was packed with action and the chemistry between Dirk/Al was fantastic. I feel that all the actors played their respective parts great and it is my sincere hope that we will get to see these characters again.