Sahara (2005)
Leave your brain at the door when
you go to see "Sahara." You can use the cranial space
to hold a bucket of popcorn and a soda. "Sahara" may
have a dumb plot, full of holes, but it is so much
fun that you shouldn't care. Matthew McConaughey is
perfectly cast as the scruffy and grimy adventurer
Dirk Pitt, a sort of post-millennium man's man who
isn't afraid to have some homoerotic banter thrown
his way. Pitt is a throwback to the film heroes of
yore, swashbucklers who always saved a damsel in distress
with heroic efforts and careless disregard for their
own safety. McConaughey's Pitt is just more sweaty
and needs a shave. He also likes to put the heroics
in the showboating mode and tear shit up in a rebellious
way in his efforts to save the dame.
The plot here is asinine - two cheeks!
There's an interesting bit of nonsense about Pitt
trying to find a Civil War era iron-sided battleship
that is as fun and as silly as just about anything
we've seen in a film like this since "Raiders of the
Lost Ark." This plot thread leads us into lots of
fun and interesting areas. But the other thread, involving
Penelope Cruz as a W.H.O. doctor out to stop a epidemic
is about as boring and insipid as it sounds.
Director Brett Eisner, Michael's
son, does a good job of capturing the action and keeping
the pace pumping. This is a fun movie with lots of
explosions, chases, and violence to keep everything
moving. And just in case we aren't pumped up on that
Eisner throws in a classic Southern Rock score to
propel the scene. Or maybe they'll be a cool piece
of score music by rocker Clint Mansell. Whatever,
it's always high energy excitement when the music
kicks in here. It works.
Steve Zahn is the best part of "Sahara."
This guy has been bubbling under for so long now,
I can't wait for him to explode all over some megahit
some day. Too bad "Sahara" isn't it. Zahn is so cute,
so funny, so goofy and likeable that you can't help
but smile every time he is on the screen. It's kind
of sad how the end of this movie just sort of sweeps
him under the rug. He's been such an integral part
of the film that we kind of wish he was there on the
beach playing with a dog or something while Matt and
Penelope frolic sexually in the surf. Then again,
expect something that new and unique from this popcorn
muncher would be a little too much to hope for.
Note:
Also with William H. Macy and Delroy
Lindo.
Based on the character Dirk Pitt
created by Clive Cussler in novel form. Some of the
other Pitt adventures Cussler has written are referenced
in the newspaper articles in the opening credits sequence
of the film.
Cussler and McConaughey are credited
as producers. McConaughey crossed the country in a
Ford truck pulling an Airstream Trailer to promote
the film.
Filmed in Morocco, England and Spain.
The film's budget was a reported
$130 million.
At least the tenth movie to be called
"Sahara" since 1919.
Viewed in Austin in May 2005.
