Sahara (1943)

100% of critics liked it
(6 reviews)
77% of users liked it
(4,566 ratings)

Humphrey Bogart considered this World War II action epic from director Zoltan Korda one of his finest films. Sergeant Joe Gunn (Bogart) is the commander of an American M-3 tank crew allied to the British Eighth Army, which is defeated by the Germans at Tobruk. Joining the scattered retreat across… More Humphrey Bogart considered this World War II action epic from director Zoltan Korda one of his finest films. Sergeant Joe Gunn (Bogart) is the commander of an American M-3 tank crew allied to the British Eighth Army, which is defeated by the Germans at Tobruk. Joining the scattered retreat across the Libyan desert, Gunn and his two remaining men, Jimmy Doyle (Dan Duryea) and Waco Hoyt (Bruce Bennett) search for water. Instead the tank crew finds an international mix of stragglers, including an officer doctor (Richard Nugent) with several soldiers and a British Sudanese sergeant, Tambul (Rex Ingram), with his Italian prisoner of war (J. Carrol Naish). The rag-tag column shoots down an attacking plane and takes its German pilot (Kurt Kreuger) as a second captive, although a soldier, Fred Clarkson (Lloyd Bridges) is killed in the fighting. After one well turns out to be dry, the troupe finally reaches an abandoned mosque with a well that provides a trickle of water. Two more prisoners are taken while scouting the area and reveal that an entire German battalion is en route to the same well. Gunn misleads them into believing that there is plenty of water to go around, sets them free to report back to their superiors, and then persuades his fellow Allies to help him fight the enemy force that's en route, even though they are staggeringly outnumbered. A betrayal, an escaped prisoner, and bloody skirmishes follow in short order as Hoyt goes in search of help while Gunn and his compatriots attempt to crush the German battalion. Sahara (1943) inspired several subsequent action films, most notably Last of the Comanches (1952), and was remade as a 1995 cable television movie. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Play Trailer

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 38 min.
Directed By: Zoltan Korda
Written By: John Howard Lawson, Zoltan Korda, James O'Hanlon
Genres: Drama, Action & Adventure, Classics

In Theaters: Nov 11, 1943 Wide
On DVD: Dec 11, 2001
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion
Zoltan Korda's wartime coalition is more Air Force muscularity than In Which We Serve fustiness
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
Like other WWII adventures, Sahara contains elements of propaganda, but it's expertly directed by Korda, well acted by Bogart and the other men, and strikingly photographed by Rudolph Mate who received an Oscar nomination.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Thanks to the strong performance by Bogey, at his heroic best, it's watchable.
Steven D. Greydanus, Decent Films Guide
One of the best WWII-era WWII movies… a thoroughly entertaining war actioner starring Humphrey Bogart as a tough American sergeant commanding a tank crew in the Libyan desert.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Graham J

Bogart puts in another great performance in this WWII classic.
Michael G

Sahara was a seriously overlooked Humphrey Bogart gem that sadly gets none of the credit it deserves. Its not really Bogart's movie, more of a team effort with great camaraderie and chemistry between the characters and cast respectively. Sahara has great photography and avoids… More
Sahara was a seriously overlooked Humphrey Bogart gem that sadly gets none of the credit it deserves. Its not really Bogart's movie, more of a team effort with great camaraderie and chemistry between the characters and cast respectively. Sahara has great photography and avoids the claustrophobic studio sets of the time. The movie does get a little sentimental but what do you want from a war movie that came out during WWII? All of this and watching a Nazi die in a pretty gruesome way gets you yelling at the screen. A must for any Bogart fan.
danny d

a unique and inventive war film, a bit slow on the uptake but an ending that sets the stage for many other war films like it. entertaining characters and interesting dialogue make for a highly recommended and excellent film.
Mark K

If you watch the film with an understanding of when it was made, and that it's a platform for propaganda, you'll appreciate its finer moments. Those finer moments include gritty and excellent performances from the cast; some well-orchestrated small-unit action sequences, and… More
If you watch the film with an understanding of when it was made, and that it's a platform for propaganda, you'll appreciate its finer moments. Those finer moments include gritty and excellent performances from the cast; some well-orchestrated small-unit action sequences, and nice cinematography. The interaction between the various nationalities is surprisingly frank, if you discount the US bias in the film. There's some smart, soldierly, and realistic dialogue here. Humphrey Bogart doesn't usually play this kind of action hero, so it's interesting to see him in the role of the tough sergeant. While not as sweeping as some desert epics, it will make you as thirsty as the soldiers portrayed in it. Good score by Miklos Rozsa.
Andre T

Explosive action from the beggining to the end, in this 1943 classic, with the presence of Hunphrey Bogart, in an envolving story of a platoon lost in the middle of the Sahara desert,during world war II.A must see.
cody f

Bogart fighting Nazi's in the desert! Nuff said! Great film about a lone tank heading deep into the Sahara Desert to escape the Nazi's. Bogie is a American tank commander who picks up some Brits,Aussies,a Frenchey,a African and a enemy Italian and Nazi on the way to a oasis… More
Bogart fighting Nazi's in the desert! Nuff said! Great film about a lone tank heading deep into the Sahara Desert to escape the Nazi's. Bogie is a American tank commander who picks up some Brits,Aussies,a Frenchey,a African and a enemy Italian and Nazi on the way to a oasis to find water. The Nazi's are on their back and the Oasis becomes a Alamo type fortress. Great story and acting in beautiful Black and White.Everyone in the Supporting cast is fantastic and the viewer develops a bond with all of them. This movie is supposedly one of Bogart's favorite films he ever made. I can see why, greatness.
Barry L

The scene at the end is an absolute classic. Loved it!