Sahara

"Adventure has a new destination."

2005 2h 4m EN

😐

5.9

MID

★5.9TMDB · 1,710

ActionAdventureComedyDramaMystery

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Seasoned adventurer and treasure hunter Dirk Pitt, a former Navy SEAL, sets out for the African desert with his wisecracking buddy Al in search of a confederate ironclad battleship rumored to have vanished long ago, the main draw being the treasure supposedly hidden within the lost vessel. When the daring duo come across Dr. Eva Rojas, a beautiful scientist who is juggling an escape from a warlord and a mission to stop the spread of a powerful plague, their desert expedition begins to heat up.

“Adventure has a new destination.”

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Cast

Matthew McConaughey
Dirk Pitt
Penélope Cruz
Dr. Eva Rojas
Steve Zahn
Al Giordino
Lennie James
General Zateb Kazim
Lambert Wilson
Yves Massarde
William H. Macy
Admiral Jim Sandecker
Rainn Wilson
Rudi Gunn
Glynn Turman
Dr. Frank Hopper

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Breck Eisner
Writers: John C. Richards, Thomas Dean Donnelly, James V. Hart
Languages: English, French, Arabic
Countries: Germany, Morocco, Spain, United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

$130M budget — tentpole studio territory.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 92% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 21 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, French, Arabic.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 5 countries: Germany, Morocco, Spain, United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

564+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Breck Eisner, shot by Seamus McGarvey. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Clint Mansell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Breck Eisner directs. Seamus McGarvey behind the camera. Clint Mansell scores. Andrew MacRitchie cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in Germany, Morocco, Spain, United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English, French, Arabic.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1$130M budget — tentpole studio territory.
2Earned back only 92% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
3Released 21 years ago.
4Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, French, Arabic.
5International production across 5 countries: Germany, Morocco, Spain, United Kingdom, United States of America.
6564+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
7Directed by Breck Eisner, shot by Seamus McGarvey. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
8Original score by Clint Mansell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
9Editor Andrew MacRitchie shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
10Matthew McConaughey and Penélope Cruz and Steve Zahn carry the top of the cast.
11Marketing tagline: "Adventure has a new destination.".
12IMDB entry: tt0318649 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
13Classified under 27 themes, including "dying and death", "civil war", "based on novel or book", "africa".

The technical file

Cinematography: Seamus McGarvey
Original score: Clint Mansell
Editing: Andrew MacRitchie
Production design: Allan Cameron
Makeup / hair: Karen Dawson
VFX supervisor: Frazer Churchill
Sound: Leslie Shatz
Stunt coordinator: Lee Sheward
Runtime: 124 min · 2h 4m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $130,000,000
Box office: $119,269,486
Return: 92% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Sahara (2005)

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Breck Eisner

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Kamurai2020-07-25
★ 5/10
Decent watch, might watch again, but can't recommend unless you're running out of things to watch or are an action archaeology fan. This was a weird attempt created a 2005 version of Indiana Jones, or, since this is in Africa, Alex Quartermaine with Matthew McConaughey, of all people. I'm not aware of Matthew McConaughey or Steve Zahn being big action stars, but they surprisingly manage to handle their own, even if it isn't always believeable. Rainn Wilson and Penelope Cruz get in on the action as well....if that helps. The premise is a little interesting: they're looking for a U.S. Confederate boat in Africa. Because it's not interesting enough on it's own, Penelope Cruz is a doctor trying to stop a plague coming from a war-torn country. It all feels a like ridiculously improbable things happening in a world that is far too realistic rather than a world created of fiction that houses an incredible story. The movie is heavy with plot armor, despite any cleverness the characters have. It's fine to watch, but there has to be something else that you can watch that is likely going to be better.
GenerationofSwine2023-01-14
★ 10/10
Words like "Literary work" and "Clive Cussler" really shouldn't be in the same sentence. Hey...chill...I love Clive Cussler, I honestly do. In fact I'll put him in the same league as Elmore Leonard and Louis L'Amour and I will put them in the same league as Dumas and Doyle. They all write pulp fiction, adventure, crime, mystery, horror, whatever, they all fall under the title "pulp" and I can admit that I eat them whole, without swallowing... ...and without the need to call them "Literary" in an effort to save face. I have the academic degrees somewhere in a box, the intellectual prowess, and a library with enough classics and heady works of history and philosophy to be able to openly display writers like Chris Claremont, Marv Wolfman, and Timothy Zane to not have to call his work "Literature." I will however call it "Adventure" I will call it "Fun" and what should be most important to any writer or film maker..."Entertaining." It doesn't have to follow the book. Jackie Brown was a far cry from Rum punch and they were both a lot of fun to watch and read. So Sahara isn't like the novel. It is an Action-Adventure-Comedy. That means it is everything that pulp should be, it is everything that movies should be... In fact it is the kind of film that the critics would have loved in the Golden Age of Hollywood.