Product Description

In the scorching desert dirk pitt uncovers the truth behind his lifelong quest - the fate of a civil war ironclad. Now amidst the blazing shifting sands of the sahara dirk pitt will make a desperate stand - in a battle the world cannot afford to lose! Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 08/21/2007 Starring: Matthew Mcconaughey Steve Zahn Rating: Pg13

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6307 in DVD
• Brand: Paramount
• Released on: 2005-08-30
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
• Formats: Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: Arabic, English, French
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 124 minutes

Amazon.com
It took more than 25 years for another Clive Cussler novel to come to the screen after the financial and critical disaster of Raise the Titanic. Based on Cussler's oddly landlocked adventure, Sahara finds the author's hero, Dirk Pitt (Matthew McConaughey)--a sort of all-American, high seas variation of James Bond--in Africa looking for a Confederate ironclad ship that impossibly might have ended up there. Soon he and his faithful sidekick Al Giordino (Steve Zahn) are lost in another adventure, discovering a deadly contaminate being tracked by a beautiful doctor (Penelope Cruz). The results are checkered: there's no one outstanding sequence, but the action is enjoyably varied, while the thrills are mild yet not bombastic or gratuitous. The cast are all adept in their roles, yet the only one who sparkles is the scene-stealing Zahn, cast against type; McConaughey, who also produced, knows he might be starting a franchise character and plays it safe. He's never as dangerous as Cussler's hero is on the page (except in his introduction), and in fact, the whole movie plays towards comedy, infused by a soundtrack of 70s FM radio monsters. Cussler fanatics may not like this lighter fare, especially with the archeological portion (a Cussler strong point) not fully embraced, but with a very, very likable cast and colorful settings, Sahara is a kindler, gentler action film that has all the elements in place for a better, more memorable franchise if anyone cares to attempt it. --Doug Thomas

From The New Yorker
Clive Cussler's franchise novel about the adventurers Dirk Pitt (Matthew McConaughey) and Al Giordino (Steve Zahn) gets the big-bucks treatment in the director Breck Eisner's Indiana Jones-style romp. The overstuffed plot, a Cussler trademark, concerns a missing Civil War ship, a beautiful W.H.O. doctor (Penélope Cruz), and, of course, buried treasure. McConaughey gives Pitt an irresistible masculine charm and energy that helps link the plot together, and Zahn brings a joyous, look-at-me spontaneity to the action. Their performances complement and support each other, and Eisner, who has a great eye for location and detail, keeps the whole whirligig plot turning with lots of pop and lots of corn. A treat. -Bruce Diones
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

Good for a cold winter day
Not fully engaging, but pleasant to watch. Alot of sunshine in this film. Great locations, passable but not inspiring direction, likeable but watered-down characters, action is OK, not particularly thrilling. Thought this film would suck, got it on a whim at Megalo-Mart for $[...]. Light-weight, but still enjoyed it, will watch again someday. Good for a stay at home date when it's freezing outside and you want to curl up with your sweetie.

Not bad but...
A mildly entertaining romp LOOSELY based on a Clive Cussler novel. It plays more like an action comedy than the grandoise plots that Cussler devises for Dirk Pitt. A pity it's only the second adaption (the first being the Lew Grade production of RAISE THE TITANIC w/ the late Richard Jordan -- Francis in LOGAN'S RUN -- as Pitt, Jason Robards as Admiral Sandecker). Actually, I preferred Jordan as Pitt. He was an actor who can be truly menacing and was damned good looking. McCounaghy looks to much like a southern California surfer than a deadly agent. His shtick with Steve Zahn is amusing but in the end forgettable. If you have time to kill it's entertaining enough. Nothing more.

Just a fun movie
There are some parts of this movie that are a bit outragious but for the most part it is pretty entertaining. After renting it I liked it enough to buy it.