Sahara

Review by Richard Lee

Paramount Studios / 2005 / 124 Minutes / Rated PG-13
Street Date: August 30, 2005

Specifications:
-DVD-Video
-DVD-9
-Region 1

Aspect Ratio:
-2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen

Audio:
-English 5.1 Surround
-English 2.0 Surround
-Francais
-Commentary by director Breck Eisner
-Commentary by director Breck Eisner and actor/executive producer Matthew McConaughey

Subtitles:
-English
-Espanol
-None

Main Menu:
-Play
-Set Up
-Special Features
-Scene Selection

Special Features:
-Commentary by director Breck Eisner
-Commentary by director Breck Eisner and actor/executive producer Matthew McConaughey
-Across the Sands of Sahara (15 minutes)
-Visualizing Sahara (20 minutes)
-Cast and Crew Wrap Film (10 minutes)
-Deleted Scenes (6 minutes)
-Previews

Before Indiana Jones, there was Dirk Pitt, adventurer, explorer, treasure hunter, etc. He is the creation of author Clive Cussler and exists mainly in numerous novels that span back to the seventies and is presently experiencing a resurgence of interest from readers and Hollywood in the form of re-printings and movie deals. Cussler’s experience with movie producers reads like a novel in itself; his first Dirk Pitt adventure to be turned into a major motion picture was 1980’s “Raise The Titanic!”. Written in 1976, nine years before the discovery of the actual Titanic by sea-explorer Robert Ballard, Cussler’s book was meticulous in its details regarding the (then most commonly accepted) theories of how and why the famed ocean-liner sunk. However, once in the hands of movie producers, he saw his creation altered to the point that known facts about the ship were changed and any action that took place in his novel was completely subdued for less-thrilling, more-budget-friendly set pieces. Cussler was so unhappy with the result, that he swore that he would never hand over the rights to any of his novels again. Turn forward the clock 25 years later and it seems the pockets of Hollywood were just too enticing for Cussler to pass up. According to imdb.com, he has signed over the rights to not one but three more Dirk Pitt adventures; the first of which, “Sahara”, switches the setting from the depths of the Atlantic to the titular desert of North Africa.

The story concerns our hero, Dirk, played by Matthew McConaughey, and his sidekick, Al Giordino, played by Steve Zahn, who here takes on a more action hero stance than his previously known zany characters. Together with the funding of their usual benefactor, Admiral Sandecker, played by William H. Macy, they go in search of a Civil War relic, one of the warships known as ironclads, of which the Monitor and the Merrimac were the most famous. The impetus of the search comes in the form of a rare gold coin. This coin, of which only 5 are known to exist, was commissioned by Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederate States of America; four were given to his top generals while the fifth was given to a family friend, who happened to be the captain of one of the Confederate ironclads, the CSS Texas. When Dirk comes across this fifth coin, he is told that it was found near the Niger River (pronounced Nee-jair) in Mali, Africa; which poses the question – could an ironclad possibly traverse the Atlantic and wind up in Africa? Along for the ride is a doctor for the World Health Organization, Eva Rojas, played by current McConaughey fiancé, Penelope Cruz, who is investigating a mysterious outbreak in the very same region. Their adventure pits them against an evil war lord, General Kazim, played by Lennie James, and an evil French businessman, Massarde, played by Lambert Wilson, the evil Frenchman from The Matrix sequels. 

“Sahara” is directed by the son of current Disney mogul Michael Eisner, Breck Eisner and this is his first big-budget American film. One has to wonder if, in the hands of a more seasoned director, that this picture could have been more exciting, possibly igniting a Dirk Pitt franchise for Paramount. Lord knows the movie industry could use a hit franchise while we await the fourth Indiana Jones film that may or may not happen pending George Lucas’s say so. Such as it is, this movie doesn’t get rolling until nearly 40 minutes into it; if you have the patience to stick with it, the last two-thirds of the picture is an action-packed, rousing mixture of Indiana Jones and James Bond rolled into one.

Picture Quality:

Presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, the transfer preserves the scope of an action epic shot in the desert like “Lawrence of Arabia”. Most of the film is shot in a highly saturated amber hue to give the impression of hot sunlit exteriors. The predominant oranges and yellows are rendered with great layers and levels to the point of surprising richness. There’s a hint of graininess, particularly during close-ups of the actors’ faces but for the most part it looks spectacular.

Audio Quality:

The standard 5.1 Dolby Digital mix is very good with perfectly clear dialogue, and a good range of sound effects and music that make strong but not too heavy use of the surrounds. LFE comes alive at the appropriate moments, namely explosions. Clint Mansell’s score, particularly during the action sequences, echo John Barry’s music from the James Bond movies with the muted horn sounds.

Scenes for Demonstration Purposes: 1. (39:00) – The Panama Maneuver. (56:00) – Rescue of Dr. Rojas. 3, (96:30) – Fight on the Tower. 4. (102:30) – Kazim pursues Dirk. 5. (106:30) – The CSS Texas’s Last Stand.

Special Features:

Besides the afore-mentioned commentaries by the director Breck Eisner and actor/executive producer Matthew McConaughey, we get a featurette titled “Across the Sands of Sahara” which looks at the making of the movie starting with the challenges of filming in the deserts of Africa (ie. sandstorms, high temperatures, floods, and locusts) and then looking at the basics like the story, the characters, and the stunts. The next featurette, “Visualizing Sahara”, looks at the storyboards, effects, and generally creating the look of the movie. The “Cast and Crew Wrap Film” follows with some behind-the-scenes hijinx which plays a lot like a gag reel, only a lot more fun. We get four deleted scenes (with optional commentary) all removed for pacing reasons, the most interesting of which totally removes the character of Kitty Mannock, whose plane crash in the desert provides a means of survival for Dirk and Al later in the film. Finally, Previews gives us looks at “The Longest Yard”, “The Honeymooners”, “Airplane!”, “The John Wayne Collection”, and “No Direction Home: Bob Dylan”.