SAHARA (HD-DVD) (SENSORMATIC/CHECKPOINT) DVD

Sahara
Matthew McConaughey stars as explorer and adventurer Dirk Pitt in this adaptation of the best-selling novel by Clive Cussler. Pitt thinks he may have found both a fortune and the answer to a long-standing mystery when he discovers a rare coin in the waters of a river in West Africa. During the Civil War, an ironclad battleship with a valuable cargo went missing, and Pitt's theory is that the coin places the ship somewhere in the Sahara Desert. Pitt and his goofy sidekick, Al Giordino (Steve Zahn), set out to find it, but along the way they make the acquaintance of Dr. Eva Rojas (Penélope Cruz), a scientist and physician who is trying to determine the source of a strange and deadly disease sweeping the nation. As Eva joins Dirk and Al, they begin to wonder if the mysteries they're trying to uncover might be somehow linked. Sahara was only the second of Cussler's Dirk Pitt adventures to be adapted for the screen; the first, 1980's Raise the Titanic, was publicly dismissed by the author. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Cast Matthew McConaughey as Dirk Pitt Steve Zahn as Al Giordino Penélope Cruz as Eva Rojas Lambert Wilson as Yves Massarde Glynn E. Turman as Dr. Frank Hopper Delroy Lindo as Carl William H. Macy as Admiral Sandecker Lennie James as Gen. Kazim Rainn Wilson as Rudi Gunn

Crew Giles Masters - Art Director Tony Reading - Art Director Lis Kern - Associate Producer Andrew Reif - Associate Producer Nina Gold - Casting Anne McCarthy - Casting Bill Brown - Co-producer Nick Morton - Co-producer Henning Molfenter - Co-producer Mike Phillips - Co-producer Mark Albela - Co-producer Thierry Potok - Co-producer Denise O'dell - Co-producer David Barron - Co-producer Anna Sheppard - Costume Designer Chris Newman - First Assistant Director Breck Eisner - Director E.J. Foerster - Second Unit Director Andrew MacRitchie - Editor William J. Immerman - Executive Producer Matthew McConaughey - Executive Producer Vicki Dee Rock - Executive Producer Gus Gustawes - Executive Producer Aileen Seaton - Hair Styles Clint Mansell - Composer (Music Score) Lindsay Fellows - Musical Direction/Supervision Aileen Seaton - Makeup Allan Cameron - Production Designer Seamus Mcgarvey - Cinematographer Karen Baldwin - Producer Howard Baldwin - Producer Mace Neufeld - Producer Stephanie Austin - Producer Leslie Shatz - Sound/Sound Designer Chris Munro - Sound/Sound Designer Lee Sheward - Stunts Coordinator Dominic Tuohy - Special Effects Supervisor John C. Richards - Screenwriter Jim V. Hart - Screenwriter Joshua Oppenheimer - Screenwriter Thomas Dean Donnelly - Screenwriter Harvey Harrison - Second Unit Camera Mara Bryan - Visual Effects Supervisor Nigel Mills - Supervising Sound Editor Fuzzygoat Ltd. - Visual Effects No Strings Attached Ltd. - Visual Effects Base Black Ltd. - Visual Effects Cinesite - Visual Effects Anna Pinnock - Set Decorator Clive Cussler - Book Author

Sahara
Much of Sahara plays out in such a breezy, entertaining manner that you feel guilty for ragging on it, even if it misses its marks repeatedly through the film. Heavily mining the Indiana Jones School of Adventure Filmmaking, first-time director Breck Eisner (yes, the son of the Mouse House power player Michael Eisner) paints a pretty picture of exotic locales and thrilling sequences but never quite gets the magic to work with his cast. The banter between Matthew McConaughey and Steve Zahn doesn't click in a satisfying way, while Penélope Cruz fails to light the romantic spark of the flick no matter how hard she tries. McConaughey has the stuff to make a fine hero, but his Dirk Pitt needs more definition in both his charm and heroics. With four writers attached to the screenplay, it's obvious that the adaptation of Clive Cussler's novel went through more than its share of Hollywood potholes throughout the production. Still, with little digital trickery to sour its traditional aesthetics, Sahara does prove to be a competent cut of entertainment that's safe for the masses to buy into. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
 

(no awards)

General Specifications: Language Options: English, French, Spanish Subtitle Options: English, French, Spanish Sound Processing: DD5.1: Dolby Digital w/ sub-woofer channel DTS: Digital Theater Systems (akin to 5.1) Additional Features: Commentary by director Breck Eisner Commentary by director Breck Eisner and actor/executive producer Matthew McConaughey Visualizing Sahara Across the sands of Sahara Cast and crew wrap film Deleted scenes with optional commentary by Breck Eisner and Matthew McConaughey Camel chase Storyboard comparisons Animatics Theatrical trailer HD MPAA Rating: PG13 DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: Content Length: 123 min