sahara

THE FLICK: Clive Cussler books are beach-reading for men. Shallow, superficial and pumped full of testosterone, they appeal to our inner-jock who dreams of traveling the world, uncovering valuable historical relics and charming women with our masculine indifference to their own exotic temptations. If you thought Ian Fleming’s superspy was an affront to literary logic and feminist ideology, Dirk Pitt is a big ‘ol slap in the face. I say this even though I’ve read nearly all of Dirk’s underwater adventures (until the plots became so ludicrous Cussler had to take on co-authors to shoulder half the blame), and without exception, enjoyed every single one. How can this be? Well, Cussler’s “top-that!” style of writing doesn’t mince words, it gives you one spectacular set-piece after another, stringing together globe-hopping disasters and discoveries with laughable coincidences that somehow seem perfectly plausible in the world of Dirk Pitt and his rough-n-tumble buddy Al Giordino. But in the midst of all these unlikely situations, Pitt himself is the embodiment of heroic stoicism; a gentleman and a scholar who just happens to save the world when duty calls. In translating this experience to film, producer/star Matthew McConaughey made one crucial mistake. He approached the character from a reader’s perspective, not that of the character himself. And so Sahara, an otherwise well-directed and edited adaptation of Cussler’s book, is completely untrue to the spirit of Dirk Pitt. Now, we’re not talking about Hollywood trouncing on War and Peace, so there’s no need to call your local senator. But it is a bit disappointing since fans have waited since 1978’s ill-fated Raise the Titanic to see Pitt get another chance on the big screen. And when McConaughey lobbied Cussler for nearly seven years to secure the author’s blessing, it looked like the stars were finally aligning for a Pitt film with some literary seal of approval. And there really was no expense spared by Paramount. Director Breck Eisner and DP Seamus McGarvey infuse the action scenes with ingenuity and a James Bond sense of scale. The climactic fistfight atop a towering solar incinerator has it all over the last few 007 installments. And the realistic location photography adds an exotic element missing from action films since the last Indiana Jones. But McConaughey’s surfer smugness and unblemished good-looks work against the film from the start. While it may be impossible to take one of Cussler’s books seriously, it’s vital that the character of Dirk Pitt does. And other than the on-going bickering between Dirk and Al (played broadly in the film by professional sidekick Steve Zahn), Pitt is all business; a trait that props the novels from collapsing into silly self-parody. The film, however, wraps itself in classic rock tunes and macho verbal sparring at every opportunity. It’s Sahara as re-told in a noisy bar with one too many pitchers of beer; all exaggeration and no self-control. THE FEATURES: For a DVD not advertised as a “special/collector’s/limited/ultimate edition,” Paramount’s release of Sahara does quite well for itself. The deleted scenes aren’t much to speak of (just a brief intro that explains how the plane Dirk and Al windsurf out of the desert came to be there in the first place), but the “Making Of” stuff is quite well produced. Across the Sands of Sahara documents McConaughey pursuit of the role (Cussler demanded he dye his hair and wear green contacts), followed by the weather-related challenges of location shooting in Morocco. Visualizing Sahara runs through the usual storyboards, previz screens, costumes and camera filters used to create the film’s hot n’ hazy look...but does so without making it seem like such a chore. The Cast and Crew Wrap-up is more of an 8-minute blooper reel. For more intensive scrutiny of the production, check out director Breck Eisner’s commentary, which fills in the gaps nicely. Eisner keeps things professional and saves the more long-winded reminiscences for the second commentary track where he’s joined by McConaughey. There’s talk of a sequel here, but it’s hard to imagine we’ll actually get one. Pitt just doesn’t seem to work outside of Cussler’s clumsily exciting prose.