Sahara

I personally imagine Dirk Pitt's role to be someone older, maybe just because in Clive Cussler's stories, he is roughly ten years older than Matthew McConaughey here, but I got over the initial mistrust and he, as the main star of the film, gives a fairly measured performance and fits quite well into the summer high-budget blockbuster that Sahara undoubtedly is. Don't expect a complex screenplay or well-developed characters, Sahara is meant to entertain, and it succeeds quite well. The action is shot perfectly and thankfully, there is not an overload of it, so it doesn't feel like a disruptive element. The exotic setting of Africa fits perfectly, and the director serves us a fairly decent piece of filmmaking with a well-chosen pace that you can consume in one breath, regardless of their opinion in the end. (10/20/2005)

Dirk Pitt is a dime novel mix of Doctor Henry Jones and that self-confident Bond, James Bond. The movie Dirk Pitt would also like to be like that, but he is acted by Matthew McConaughey and therefore lacks any charisma whatsoever. The unfunny sidekick acted by Steve Zahn suffers from same problem. And, apart from this considerable criticism, it isn’t really so bad. At least at the beginning. The opening credits certainly throw out a line and the beginning keeps you on the hook. The Sahara offers a wealth of exotic locations, the solid and frequent action is great entertainment with just the right adventurous “haze" about it. These impressions are spoiled by the over-long playing time, the change of genre half way through and the strange music that sounds like its come out of some bad romantic comedy. (01/05/2008)

Sahara is a case of a movie so incredibly silly that it's hilarious and functions as an unintentional crazy comedy. Giving such nonsense only one star is disrespectful, when it actually entertains brilliantly - just in a somewhat different way than the creators intended. Stuffing such a pile of nonsense into a screenplay deserves admiration solely for the courage. For a moment, I closed my eyes and listened to the dialogues, equally as the sound effects of gunshots and engine roars. That alone was enough to make me laugh uncontrollably... Overall impression: 20%. (01/05/2008)

"Sahara" is a classic American action film. It doesn't stand out in any way, but it tries to entertain both with humor and action-packed scenes. It succeeds in both aspects, although it is by no means a great piece of art. Let's face it, it's nothing unusual in this genre. Interesting exteriors, muscular heroes, beautiful heroines, usually with attributes that please the male eye, along with some clumsy character who comes up with a bad joke and occasionally shows some good humor to save the day, because he wasn't there for no reason. It must be said that some B-movie concepts are suppressed in "Sahara", but it still remains within the boundaries of an everyday spectacle that doesn't have any added value for you, except maybe the fact that you can go on a family trip again. To the cinema, at least. Matthew McConaughey delivers his usual performance, pleasant for women, and he won't bother most guys too much. Steve Zahn once again plays one of his clumsy characters. He doesn't have much space, he doesn't offend, occasionally amuses, and he is always a great buddy you can rely on. Penélope Cruz doesn't have much to say, luckily she isn't used as a sex symbol, as was the case in the movie "Sexy Pistols", her role is slightly deeper and there is no emphasis on the romantic aspect either. So, if I had to choose between "Sahara" and a similarly themed film like "Fool's Gold", I would choose "Sahara". Mainly because I can tolerate Penélope and I really can't stand Kate Hudson. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/11/sahara-stormbreaker-syriana-andelsky.html (03/02/2013)

Sahara perfectly fulfills the requirements of a summer adventure blockbuster. It has a reasonably (although still amusing) constructed plot about searching for a mythical treasure (although this one is quite massive), with an additional storyline about doctors fighting against an unknown infection, both of which are skillfully intertwined. The combination of comedy, adventure, action, and serious subject matter like disease-ridden Africa surprisingly doesn't feel like an eyesore. On the contrary, it is quite logically (within the context of the film) integrated and enhances the already high level of effectiveness of the movie. The production design, while it must be acknowledged that the helicopter flyovers over the desert don't quite fit in, otherwise indulges in grand shots of moving cars and camels, surprisingly sparingly. Moreover, both formally and content-wise (perhaps even more so), it strongly resembles the third installment of Indiana Jones, and if we had Dirk instead of Matthew McConaughey, it could easily be considered the fourth installment of the "archaeological adventures" even without Steven Spielberg. True, in many aspects, Sahara has its own distinct elements, such as the mentioned epidemic, and most importantly, it features Penelope Cruz in the leading female role, who delivers an incredible performance. It is worth watching the film just for her presence alone. But a second viewing? Maybe again in the summer. (08/14/2005)