Their Turbans May Not Be Wrapped Too Tight (Sahara (DVD))

Member Name: QuinnElaine

Product:	Sahara (DVD)
Date:	17/06/08 (55 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Entertaining and humorous with enough action to keep things flowing

Disadvantages: A little uneven in the pacing, predictable moments, and the ending lacks luster

This 2005 release is a highly entertaining action/adventure spree that attempts to weave together several seemingly random threads. Dirk Pitt is National Underwater Marine Agency's current golden boy. He heads Admiral James Sandecker's crew as they seek out and recover artifacts of all sorts that have been lost in the Seas of the world."Al" Algiers Girodino is Dirk's longtime pal and right hand man who handles the grunt work of running the machinery or demolition, and Rudi Gunn evens these two out by handling the science and computer end of things. Together they make a successful, if unconventional, team.

While searching for treasure in the River Niger, they cross the paths of two World Health Organization doctors, Eva Rojas and Frank Hopper, who are trying to find the source of what they very much fear will be a virulent plague of unimaginable proportions. As if searching for the source of this terrible disease wasn't motivation enough, Dirk firmly believes this is his best opportunity to find his personal 'holy grail'. He stands alone in believing that, somehow, a US Confederate ironclad ship made it across the ocean to end up stranded somewhere in the Sahara with the "last" of a rare series of Confederate golden dollars that never quite surfaced during or after the Civil War.

Imagine their surprise when Al finds ancient paintings in a cave that depict an infamous "Ship of Death" that looks, undeniably, like an ironclad vessel! Is the ship the source of this mysterious illness? Profits are rolling in for two unlikely power-hungry business partners, Yves Massarde and Mali's current dictator, General Kazim, who will go to any lengths to protect their secret.

Will our heroes find and eliminate the source of this plague before it's too late for the world? Will they find the lost ironclad and reveal its long-hidden treasures? The adventure unfolds as we eagerly await these answers!

A Look at the Cast:

Eva Rojas (Penelope Cruz): Cruz fulfills her role here, although I didn't feel that it was particularly challenging. She plays an intelligent, resourceful, confident woman in a unique job under unusual circumstances. More brain than brawn, she is, none the less, willing to give it her all when attempting things like leaping from a galloping camel onto a moving train. Cruz is believable, if somewhat uninspiring.

Algiers "Al" Girodino (Steve Zahn): Zahn is good at funny and he doesn't let me down here. He delivers lines with timing and wonderfully realistic cheerful sarcasm. Maybe its the impish twinkle that can be seen in the corner of his eye even during "serious" moments, but I find his humor infectious. Humor is always an excellent combination with action, and Zahn did a good job of convincing me he could take on the challenges of action with equally solid results. I look forward to seeing Zahn break out of his "comedic sidekick"' mold and perhaps taking the spotlight in a future film.

Admiral James Sandecker (William H. Macy): One of my favorite actors at the moment, Macy seems to be adept at anything he takes on. He gives us a believable, if simplistic, performance here as the commander of this odd little treasure-seeking group. He has a couple of good lines, but I certainly don't feel that this is his best or most challenging role.

Dr. Frank Hopper (Glynn Turman): A good actor with a wealth of TV experience, it's about time he started to get some film roles. I'm curious to see how he will branch out in this medium. His role here was utterly believable if relatively brief, and he offers solid support to the other actors while on screen.

General Kazim (Lennie James): As soon as this character appeared on the screen, I kept thinking the same thing..."Is that Sol from Snatch?!" Yes, yes it is. After getting over that, I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised at how well James portrayed the stereotypical cold-hearted dictator. He has his agenda and he does not hesitate to take what he wants when he wants it. This was such an excellent contrast to his role in the more comedic "Snatch", that he left me wondering what he might do with a truly juicy dramatic role.

Yves Massarde (Lambert Wilson): This native of France has a fondness for villainy which serves him well here, but doesn't even come close to his perfection as the Merovingian. I'm sure US audiences will be seeing more of this actor, I just hope he doesn't get caught in a pigeonhole. I understand he has an excellent baritone singing voice as well which might make for some interesting roles in the future. He has a wonderfully rich speaking voice and would do excellent narrative or voice-over work as well.

Rudi Gunn (Rainn Wilson): This actor is most likely better known for his TV roles on "The Office" and "Six Feet Under". His name didn't ring any bells with me when I looked at the credits, but his face was so familiar that I had to figure out what work I had seen him in before. I'm not much for TV myself, but finally tracked him down as one of the interviewers in the hilarious "America's Sweethearts". He has a wonderful comedic timing and I look forward to seeing more of this actor as he breaks out of television.

Dirk Pitts (Matthew McConaughey): This actor is a natural choice for the romantic hero lead and he doesn't disappoint. I enjoyed his first fight scene in this film more than I expected and found McConaughey's easy-flowing charm, steady confidence, and ready wit to be perfect for this character. I'm sure half a dozen actors could have filled the role just as easily, but McConaughey makes it his own and wears it like a favorite t-shirt.

Final Thoughts on the Film:

It's Action, so I really don't' expect much in the way of Depth either from the writing or the acting. I do expect it to be entertaining and I Always hope they will move away from the typical action cliches. This film most definitely entertained me, but I have to say that I still found the inclusion of such action cliches as "never-ending" bullets, equipment that works in impossible conditions or after over 100 years to be really irritating. And while the notion of Confederate ironclad in the Sahara is intriguing, it simply isn't plausible.

While the (rather large list of) screenwriters did manage to avoid the "endless" count-down bit, they still had the "just escaped the huge explosion Despite the fact that I'm carrying explosives" scene, which just glares out as a flaw, in my opinion. The very Best action or action/adventure either a. finds creative but acceptable explanations for situations that arise or b. refuses to take part in such tired cliches. Really, after you have seen James Bond do the same thing half a dozen times, there isn't much entertainment left in it!

That being said, I came away from this particular film feeling satisfied. I was entertained, I laughed, I pondered, and most importantly I got caught up in the story and characters enough to care whether they lived or died. There are interesting concepts with enough plausibility for an action/adventure film, plenty of humor, a decent amount of explosions, and engaging characters that are well delivered. When all is said and done, this is a pretty well-rounded adventure film with appeal for both men and women, as well as being suitable for a pretty wide age-range. I could see this appealing to children younger than 13 if they have a suitable interest or attention span.

Everyone in "Sahara" seems to know that they are doing an Action/Adventure and they don't take it any more seriously than we, the viewers, really should, which is evident in much of the dialog. At one point, two of the main characters actually say, "There's no way that should've worked!", for which I found I just had to give up a reluctant chuckle. If you don't take this genre too seriously and are looking for something entertaining, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Sahara. This is the film that "National Treasure" wanted to be.


Some Favorite Lines in Parting:

Rudi: "..I never took a survival course!"
Dirk: "Well, consider this it."
Al: "It's sorta Pass/Fail, which I always feel is easier."

Dirk: "What do you do if you're about to be exposed as the biggest polluter in modern history?"
Al: "I don't know, run for president?"

Al: "Hey Dirk! Where are we headed?"
Dirk: "Hell if I know... but we're making great time!"


Rudi: "Sir, I have some bad news about your boat......(makes explosion noise)"

Summary: Not a complete success, but a worthy and entertaining effort.