Sahara (2005, PG-13)

It really is too bad that Sahara was one of the biggest movie flops at the box-office. That wasn't due to the fact that it grossed a lot of money (approx $120 million), but due to the fact that it had such a large budget (approx $160 million).

When I view Sahara, as I have done about three-four times as of now, I am entertained and engaged with the movie every time.  Essentially, Sahara is a mix of James Bond, Indiana Jones, and any other action hero you can think off all merged into Dirk Pitt, an action-hero created by Clive Cussler.

Set mainly in Mali, Africa, the film follows Dirk Pitt (Matthew McConaughey) and his sidekick Al Giordino (Steve Zahn), when they travel to the Sahara Desert to recover a Confederate armored ship that escaped to there, sailing across the Atlantic Ocean to escape the victorious Union.  They get caught up in a group of doctors who are trying to find the source of a plague going on in North Africa, while the Malian dictator, General Kazim (Lennie James) tries to kill them to stop them from discovering the source of the plague.
By the time the credits roll, Sahara feels like an exhausting expierence.  Fortunately, it's quite fun and entertaining.

The film received mixed-negative reviews upon release, mostly focused on the direction by Breck Eisner and the unrealistic action sequences.  I'm recommending Sahara strictly because it's a very fun pic, and is quite a good way to spend two hours of your time.  Don't expect outstanding acting performances or direction.  For an action flick, the cinematography, showing vast shots of the Sahara Desert, isn't bad (though nothing compared to such films like Lawrence of Arabia), and there are plenty of fast-paced action sequences, a few of them perhaps unrealistic, to please audiences.  

A planned franchise has by now been cancelled, due the massive flop this was and the negative reviews it recieved.

                              *** ½ /5