Image courtesy of www.impawards.com
Director :
Breck Eisner
Cast :
Matthew McConaughey……….Dirk Pitt
Steve Zahn……….Al Giordino
Penélope Cruz……….Eva Rojas
Lambert Wilson……….Massarde
Glynn Turman……….Dr. Hopper
Lennie James……….General Kazim
Delroy Lindo……….CIA Agent Carl
William H. Macy……….Admiral James Sandecker
Making a quality action movie is a lost art. Lost is the aspect of fun, the look of amazement by a hero at what he’s done as even he doesn’t believe it. In an effort to go bigger and bolder, with more special effects and body counts, quality heroes are hard to come by. The only good action movies, it seems, are thrillers. In this barren wasteland of big guns, big explosions and overly-ambitious storylines comes the Matt McConaughey vehicle Sahara.
McConaughey stars as Dirk Pitt, a treasure hunter and explorer. He is joined by his best friend Al (Steve Zahn) in the NUMA team, headed by Admiral James Sandecker (William H. Macy). Pitt has an obsession with a Civil War battleship he thinks made it into Africa, more specifically into the Sahara desert before it dried up. Everyone thinks he has a few screws loose, as finding this ship is something that has been driving him for years. In between ventures he gets a coin from the ship and goes after it. Joining him are Eva Rojas and Dr. Hopper (Penelope Cruz and Glynn Turman), two doctors from the World Health Organization out to stop a plague developing in Africa. They hitch a ride with Dirk into the heart of Africa, leaving them to try and find the source of the sickness spreading throughout the country. With General Kazim (Lennie James), ruler of the part of Mali that Pitt is exploring, and Massarde (Lambert Wilson), an industrialist in league with the general, trying to foil Dirk and his quest. From there it’s a non-stop fun ride with an explosive and entertaining finale.
The joy of Sahara is that the movie is over the top in terms of the story, yet instead of trying to play it seriously it goes the other way and just runs with it. It embraces the inherent silliness of trying to find an ironclad civil war battleship in the middle of a desert while fighting against a warlord (who puts the war back into the phrase, apparently) and a French industrialist with evil intentions and just runs with it. Every sort of action movie cliché that is possible is used to great effect; it doesn’t hurt the movie that a lot of the gags and action sequences are predictable. They are well-done and joyful to watch, so their predictability doesn’t detract from them.
The nature of the story also is evident with the cast. McConaughey and Zahn are your typical action movie buddy tandem, as Dirk Pitt is there to save the day and Al Giordino is there to crack wise, but they exhibit a natural chemistry and comedic feel to each other that it makes it well worth it. They know the types of characters they have to play and the type of movie it is and just go all out. You can tell that they really liked this movie as the natural energy they bring is infectious. They have typical banter, but instead of just going through it stoically or wooden they bring a sense of urgency and humor. They also have a strong chemistry with one another; that’s one of the few things as an actor you can’t fake, especially in an action movie, and the one thing that fuels the movie is the bond between these two. They have a natural feel for one another, and are also well-versed in their roles. They know how to play off each other comically, and in sequences that aren’t comedic or action-oriented they could be or are friends off camera.
In a movie that is over the top in scope, it’s refreshing to see a cast and director that understand this and lets it flourish from there. The storyline may be over the top, the plot convoluted and ridiculous at times but this is a strength of the movie. It’s over the top and just uses that as a starting point for a wild ride of fun.
Sahara isn’t a grand piece of drama or a movie that opens doors or sheds light on a situation. It’s just an absolutely fun time, which is the only thing the movie ever sets out to do.
