SAHARA (Theatrical Release USA 2005)

Ben Meyers’ rating: 2.5|5.0 Starsìì

Sahara—starts well, a definite 4-star movie—quickly becomes a disaster, more than earning its 2.5 star rating. The film is a confused, disorganized, unedited mess. Such a shameful waste of serious story-telling talent—it’s based on a Clive Cussler book. Such a sad waste of real money—it was produced by Philip Anschutz.

Film Poster Courtesy of Wikipedia

Storyline

While diving in West Africa for the National Underwater and Marine Agency, Dirk Pitt (Matthew McConaughey) becomes involved with Doctors Eva Rojas (Penélope Cruz) and Frank Hopper (Glynn Turman) who are investigating a sickness that is killing citizens of Mali, Africa. Dirk Pitt buys a gold coin that he believes to be from the lost CSS Texas, a Confederate ship that ran through a Union blockade during the United States’ Civil War to escape the South with remaining Confederate wealth. The three stories become intertwined as the main characters explore the Niger River in an attempt to solve the source of the Mali illness and to find the lost bullion from the CSS Texas.

Additional Thanks

Poor Work for Director Breck Eisner. Thank you to Executive Producers Gus Gustawes, William J. Immerman, Matthew McConaughey, and Vicki Dee Rock for making the film possible. Additional characters/cast include: Al Giordino (Steve Zahn), Admiral Jim Sandecker (William H. Macy), Rudi Gunn (Rainn Wilson), Carl (Delroy Lindo), Yves Massarde (Lambert Wilson), General Zateb Kazim (Lennie James), Captain Tombs (Robert Cavanah), Imam (Jude Akuwudike), and Lawyer (Mark Aspinall).

Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?
  

No. It’s a bona fide bomb.

Video Critique available Here:

Ben Meyers