A slow start, with a rousing second half. See it when it opens April 8.
Dirk Pitt......Matthew McConaghey
Al Giordino....Steve Zahn
Eva Rojas......Penelope Cruz
Admiral Jim Sandecker......William H. Macy
Also starring Glynn Turman and Delroy Lindo.
Directed by Breck Eisner (Michael Eisner's son, in his feature debut.) Based on the novel by Clive Cussler. Screenplay by James V. Hart, John C. Richards, Joshua Oppenheimer, and Thomas Donnelly. Music by Clint Mansell. Rated PG-13 for action violence. Running time (with closing credits) is 126 minutes.
Dirk Pitt and his sidekick, Al Giordino, are searching for a lost Civil War ironclad in the middle of the Sahara. Dr. Rojas is searching for the source of a mysterious ailment. When their paths cross, it leads to the uncovering of something more sinister than either of them ever imagined.
Thanks to Luigi, I was able to attend an advance screening of the new Paramount adventure flick Sahara. This is the first film in a quarter century to be adapted from a Clive Cussler novel. Allegedly, the adventures of his character Dirk Pitt were some of the most sought after properties in Hollywood. However. Mr. Cussler, who was extremely dissatisfied with the way his Raise The Titanic was adapted for the big screen in 1980, was reluctant to see any more of his books turned into movies. Cussler held out for script, cast and director approval, something usually unheard of for the writer of any property to get. One company, Crusader, was willing to do to just that. However, the script that was filmed was not approved by Cussler; the producers apparently went behind his back and shot the film anyway. Cussler now has a $10 million dollar lawsuit pending, and we'll just have to see how that winds its way through the courts.
Nitpicks: The film's poster has a tag line that states "Adventure Has A New Name. Dirk Pitt." Well, the character is hardly new, as he was played by the late Richard Jordan in the aforementioned Raise The Titanic. There is a fleeting reference to the "Titanic" being raised, by way of a newspaper clipping on display during the opening titles.
I never believed McConaghey as Pitt, or even as an action hero, and I don't believe he was the producers' first choice. His performance here suggests he's treating the whole film as a lark. Perhaps I still have the image of Jordan as Pitt burned into my head. Maybe they could have cast Brad Pitt as Dirk Pitt?
I did a bit of on-line research, and the wristwatch that Pitt wears is a Doxa brand divers' watch. My mind was blown when I found out that it was priced as $1,249. Would someone wear such an expensive watch on an expedition like Pitt does? Me, I'm happy with my $50 Fossil. It keeps excellent time.
Pitt has worn Doxa watches for years (dating back to the early '70s in the novels).
Disclaimer: IANADiver. However, if they are high quality, yes, I can see that. Any divers out there know about Doxa's rep for quality?
Much was made (in the ads, of course) that this pic was No. 1 on its opening weekend. But, it did a relatively weak $18 million. Let's see how it does in its second week. The only film opening then is the Amityville Horror remake, which was pretty well trashed by the critics.
Pitt's Doxa watch is now priced at $1,349. My cup runneth bankrupt.
It's a shame this film was such a financial disaster, I rather enjoyed it and would have loved a follow up film. So shoot me. (/:-)
Bang!
Having read all the Dirk Pitt books, and having read the plot summaries for the movie, I'm not sure I'd have enjoyed it had I watched it.
Here's another article that covers the same territory.
Sahara suit decided. Cussler must pay Crusader Entertainment $5 million, but it was also recommended that Crusader pay Cussler $8 million. So, Cussler may still come out ahead. More on that stuff here.
there was an old Bogart movie by this name? A WW2 tank movie?
It's a shame this film was such a financial disaster, I rather enjoyed it and would have loved a follow up film.
Not with McConaghey, I would hope. Also, I think Cussler would rather eat dilithium crystals than sell the film rights to any more of his books.
There was an old Bogart movie by this name? A WW2 tank movie?
This is probably what you're referring to.
Did parts of the Sahara really have rivers running through them 150+ years ago? I would think that it would have to be much farther in the past than that but I don't know.
Dirk and Al were once Navy SEALs but they sure don't act like it most of the time. SEALs are amung the best trained in world, if not the best, and Al couldn't hit the broad side of a barn half the time, but he could shoot sticks of dynamite in a moving car. They went from SEALs to divers for a private company, but the US Navy has a world renowned deep sea diving community. It would've made more sense to have them come from there instead.
When Eva wakes up from being attacked on the Admiral's boat, Dirk is riding a winch with a sarcophagus and as soon as he broaches the surface he takes his diving helmet off. That is a big no-no, even for an expert. For one thing, those helmets are not that easy to take off. Secondly, no matter how long and deep a diver goes, you at least wait until you're on ship in case the winch fails and somebody can help.
Sand storms must be incredibly bad for that solar oven to be so backed up with toxic waste. There were at least a few hundred barrels in there and the toxins were already in the Niger River, so that facility must've been there a while, which I find hard to believe with the CIA watching. It would've also taken some time to clean all that up so at least some would probably still reach the Atlantic. Maybe I missed it but was it ever said where all that waste was coming from?
I have one word for Dirk and Al escaping from the back of that truck and not getting noticed, IMPOSSIBLE. The screaching from the bed-lining alone should've been both heard and felt by the two guys, not to mention the thud it made when they fell off the back. Plus, they pushed with their feet on the back of the cab and the bed-lining covered that area as well, so pushing on it should've done nothing. Also, carrying that bed-liner over their heads to block the sun wasn't a bad idea, but it probably would've fried their arms to it like a skillet.
According to CNBC, Sahara lost a lot more than the $78 million noted above. $43 million more, to be specific. The movie actually performed decently at the box office, but it's bloated budget almost guaranteed it would lose money. CNBC lists it as number four in its list of all-time box office bombs. (Keep going up the slide show to see what was number one; I won't spoil it for you.)