Did you see Sahara in the theater? I didn't and I actually regret it. It was a whole lot of fun watching it at home but it would have been even more so on the big screen. Isn't everything better on the big screen? I will say that I was actually surprised at how much I enjoyed this film. Why did I enjoy it? Here are a few reasons.
Great camera work and editing, especially the fight scene on the beach which includes shots from Evas point of view. She has been attacked by unknown men while she is trying to track down a disease coming from Mali. After she has been attacked, she is lying nearly unconscious on the sand. Dirk comes out of the water and fights her attackers. The shots are short and from low-angles. Some are even upside down, but they give you her point of view on the fight and introduce Dirk in heroic style.
Great characters, Dirk and Al. They are great twosome for a buddy movie. Dirk sure is pretty to look at but Al is by far the best and funniest character in the movie. When he first makes his appearance in the film, he has his head stuck under the hood of something. We see the backside of him (nice plumber butt) as he shouts at anyone available for help with the tools. He gets Eva. He fixes the winch and hauls a triumphant Dirk and their find out of the water. In that short scene you find out that Al is the smart, nerdy one, who does the fixing and always has Dirk's back, and Dirk is, of course, the charming, attractive hero.
Great action scenes that had the right mix of action and humor. The boat chase scene on the Niger River is classic example. What made it better is when Sandecker had to listen to what was going on via the satellite phone. Bullets are flying as you hear him over the phone asking, "What's going on?" Um, your boat is being shot apart, but, hey, thankfully the Panama worked and Al, Dirk and Rudi escaped.
Witty dialogue with no cheesy one liners here. Al, of course, has most of the best lines, such as, "Always the Al's-maid, never the Al." My favorite exchange between him and Dirk is after they have left the chemical waste plant and are being chased by Kazim.
Dirk: "Al did you bring the explosives from the toxic waste dump?"
Al: "Couldn't find them."
Dirk: "Al?"
Al: "Didn't have time."
Dirk: "Al!"
Al: "Of course I brought the explosives!"
A great ending and not just the when the world has been saved, the bad guys are all dead and the treasure has been found. It's the door that is left open for a sequel. You wonder, "What's next for Dirk, Al and N.U.M.A?" What's next is apparently new equipment and a cushy deal with the government. A sequel is definitely implied somewhere in there. How about Dirk and Eva? Does their flirtation throughout the movie lead to anything in the end? They do wind up on a beach together, but it's not the sappy, love soaked ending that you would expect. On the beach, Dirk tells Eva that he wanted to say something to her during the midst of the battle in the desert. He looks her deeply in the eyes and tells her, "You do throw like a girl." Ha! She of course slaps him silly. I'm sorry to report that you don't find out much about Al's situation at the end, but I assume that he does get a new hat - and second billing in the sequel. That's probably enough for him.
at November 12, 2005 9:54 PMYou've been busy!
This is not a comment on Sahara, sorry. But I do have a question for you. What do you think is the ratio of films that came from original screenplays versus those that were screenplays adapted from books?
Ok
I too must admit I was really surprised by Sahara. I was expecting something really, really bad, but actually went and saw it two more times at the Riverview. The pace was good, the music was good, I especially like the scene when they are cruising up the river and having a good time, and yes Al did have some of the best lines of the summer. Sorry you missed it in the theater Hope, the big screen did it justice.