Sahara (2005)
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A treasure hunter and a medical doctor team up to locate a lost Confederate warship in the Sahara Desert while uncovering a deadly environmental threat.
The story
In present-day Mali, a civil war rages between dictator General Kazim and Tuareg rebels. Simultaneously, World Health Organization doctors Eva Rojas and Frank Hopper investigate a mysterious disease affecting people in the region. When Eva is nearly murdered by a corrupt Tuareg, she is rescued by Dirk Pitt, an agent from the National Underwater and Marine Agency. Dirk, who possesses a clue to a long-lost Confederate ironclad warship, joins forces with the doctors to navigate the dangerous terrain of the Niger River and the Sahara Desert, seeking to uncover the truth behind the disease and the legendary ship.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1865, the CSS Texas is loaded with Confederate gold and disappears. In the present day, doctors Eva Rojas and Frank Hopper investigate a disease in Mali. Eva is rescued by Dirk Pitt, who is searching for the CSS Texas using a gold coin clue. They travel up the Niger River, discovering red algae that puzzles them. They are attacked by Kazim's men, destroying their yacht; Frank is killed, but Dirk and Al Giordino rescue Eva. They are captured by Tuareg insurgents, where Eva learns the disease is a waterborne toxin. Dirk discovers a painting of the Texas, deducing it is buried underground. They find a solar plant owned by Yves Massarde as the source of the contamination. While the US government hesitates to act, Dirk, Al, and Eva infiltrate the plant but are captured. Dirk and Al escape into the desert, rebuilding a plane wreck into a land yacht. They return to the plant with the help of the Tuareg leader Modibo. Dirk kills Zakara, and Al neutralizes the explosives. They escape in a stolen plane as the wreckage of the Texas is revealed. They hide in the armored ship, using its cannons to destroy Kazim's helicopter. The plant is shut down, the gold is left with the Tuareg, and Dirk and Eva begin a relationship.
- First release year
- 2005
- Runtime (minutes)
- 124
- Production countries
- United Kingdom; Spain; Germany; United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Breck Eisner
- Writers
- James V. Hart · screenplay; Thomas Dean Donnelly · screenplay; Joshua Oppenheimer · screenplay; John C. Richards · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Matthew McConaughey; Steve Zahn; Penélope Cruz; Lambert Wilson; Glynn Turman; Rainn Wilson; Delroy Lindo; William H. Macy
- Genres
- action-adventure; action comedy; adventure comedy; buddy comedy; techno-thriller
- Themes
- friendship; environmental disaster; treasure hunting
- Tone and mood
- action; adventure; comedy
- Premise and plot tags
- treasure hunting; techno-thriller; buddy comedy
- Source material / true-story basis
- the best-selling 1992 novel of the same name by Clive Cussler
- Franchise connections
- intended to be the first in a franchise based on Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt novels
- Reception
- Critical reviews were mixed to negative. The film was notable for its many production issues and was often listed among the biggest box-office failures of all time.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 37% · review count: 175; Metacritic · score: 41 · scale: 100 · review count: 33; CinemaScore · score: B+ · scale: A+ to F
- Production trivia
- The film's production budget doubled from $80 million to $160 million.; Matthew McConaughey drove his own Airstream trailer across America to promote the film.; A 46-second action sequence cost $2 million to film but was cut from the final movie.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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