Sahara is an action thriller based on the Clive Cussler novel (which I’ve never read). As usual, fans of the original book are much less likely to enjoy this than others, but that’s just an occupational hazard I guess. I found that I enjoyed it much more than I expected to.
The plot involves a long-lost iron-clad gunboat from the time of the American civil war that explorer Dirk Pitt (Matthew McConaughey) believes ended up somewhere in the region of Africa. His compatriots however think this is a ridiculously far-fatched idea and dismiss him as a dreamer. He happens to see WHO doctor (as in World Health Organisation, not Doctor Who…) Eva Rojas (Penelope Cruz) in a spot of bother and saves her, finding out that she believes an epidemic will break out unless they can trace the source of a disease she believes to be coming out of a particular West African country. Pitt later receives something that makes him think that his fabled gunboat is also in that sort of area, so the end up heading towards it together at first. The problem is that this particular West African country is run by a ruthless military dictator, and he doesn’t want people snooping around… So Rojas and another doctor go one way while Pitt and two buddies go another. Until inevitably the two parties meet again – and when they do, that’s when the fun really starts… (There’s also an evil French guy, but he can’t seem to decide how evil he is but, surprisingly, this makes him less interesting rather than more so.)
Sahara is an enjoyably cheesy romp in the Indian Jones style (though certainly not as good as the first or third films of that series!). Don’t expect much in the way of intelligent plotting but if you’re up for a good old-fashioned adventure story then you’ll enjoy this. If you’re a fan of the book… well, don’t expect it to be too similar, from what I’ve read in other reviews.
McConaughey is not someone I’d automatically think of as an action hero but he does very well in his role. He certainly looks the part and he is suave with a certain roguish charm and mischievousness to be effective in his role. Cruz is one of my least favourite actresses of all time but she manages to be only vaguely annoying, which is a real step in the right direction. (The cameraman makes as much use as possible of her cleavage throughout the films but he really doesn’t have much to work with. The way they try to work her bosom into every shot is quite hilarious at times!) William H Macy is okay as the chief of the company Pitt works for, but he didn’t seem to be overly interested in his role. One of Pitt’s buddies, Rudi (Rainn Wilson) doesn’t have much to do but manages to get quite a few laughs nonetheless.
To me though, what made the film so enjoyable was Steve Zahn’s performance as Al, Pitt’s life-long buddy and fellow adventurer. (Incidentally, those who’ve read the book have their own image of what Al should be like, and it seems that it’s never the one portrayed by Zahn in the film.) The chemistry between him and McConaughey is good, you really can believe that they have been friends from kindergarten, and Zahn is thankfully given enough to do that he doesn’t just seem like the commix relief. For the first fifteen minutes or so I actually found him quite annoying, but for the rest of the film his performance is always endearing and often funny.
The soundtrack is also worth a mention. It’s not particularly memorable, but it features an interesting mix of jazz funk and African tribal music, and this goes very well with the style of the film.
Some of the funniest moments in the film though, (at least to me), were obviously unintentional. Some of the dialogue is too cheesy for words, and some of the stunts are rather interesting. I mean, when a speedboat is going along at full pelt and then you turn the engine of, do you really expect it to stop absolutely dead as if it had run into a wall? Nope, thought not. Silly little technical vagaries like that actually enhanced my enjoyment of the film though as they had me in stitches! A bit like the old Godzilla movie that were so enjoyable because they looked so unrealistic…
The film also tries to make a couple of relevant statements while it’s at it, including the “Nobody cares about Africa” motif that was so effectively put across in Hotel Rwanda - but these get a bit lost in amongst the high action and sometimes silly plot. The plot overall though is pretty good, with a twist in the tail that was different from the one I was expecting.
So there you have it. It’s an action adventure movie with a good deal of humour thrown in, and made even funnier in places by some unintentional stunt gaffes. Overall, thoroughly enjoyable. When I was thinking about this review I kept hovering between 3 and 4 stars, but overall it’s worth 4. (Exchange Penelope Cruz for Salma Hayeck and you may even be talking 5 stars here…) But if you’re a fan of the book – don’t say I didn’t warn you!
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