Sahara

Clive Cusslers daredevil adventurer Dirk Pitt strides purposefully on to celluloid in this blockbuster treatment of his best-selling novel.

Shot with a certain amount of tongue-in-cheek, Sahara is a rollicking romp in the spirit of the great television serials and action films of the Forties and Fifties.

Brilliant scientist Dr Eva Rojas(Cruz) and her colleague Dr Hopper (Turman), from the World Health Organisation (WHO), are investigating the outbreak of a potentially deadly contagion, believed to originate in Mali.

Unfortunately, a civil war is waging there between tyrannical General Kazim (James) and the rebel Tuareg nomads.

Eva approaches influential businessman Massarde (Wilson) to oil the diplomatic cogs so she and Dr Hopper can safely enter the war zone to collect samples.

Meanwhile, master explorer Pitt (McConaughey) and his wisecracking best friend Al Giordino (Zahn) from the National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA) are on a quest to track down a legendary Civil War ironclad battleship, which supposedly vanished in West Africa along with its secret cargo.

Fate conspires to throw the two groups together.

Dirk, Al and Eva believe the two mysteries may be connected, and that the answer lies somewhere beneath the sands of the desert.

Sahara is a well-crafted slice of escapist entertainment.

McConaughey clearly revels in his role as the bronzed, muscle-bound hero of the hour, flashing a dazzling white smile and losing his shirt whenever possible.

Cruz is more than just windowdressing, striking a nice line between feisty and feminine saving Dirk on a number of occasions.

Eisner directs the action with flair, overcoming some of the dubious twists of logic in the screenplay to deliver thrills aplenty. The explosive finale is particularly satisfying.

Showing at cinemas across Sussex from today.