Sahara

Sahara (2005)

  • 39% of critics liked it
    (171 reviews)

  • 61% of users liked it
    (193,867 ratings)

Matthew McConaughey stars as explorer and adventurer Dirk Pitt in this adaptation of the best-selling novel by Clive Cussler. Pitt thinks he may have found both a fortune and the answer to a long-standing mystery when he discovers a rare coin in the waters of a river in West Africa. During the Civil… More

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In Theaters
Apr 8, 2005 Wide
On DVD
Aug 30, 2005
Paramount Pictures

Critic Reviews

  • Rex Reed, New York Observer

    Despite the vast beauty of location settings in Morocco and Spain, the vast lack of chemistry between the two stars is appalling.

  • Jessica Winter, Village Voice

    Sahara is many things, but it is not a movie. It is the skull-splitting cacophony of 21 producers and four screenwriters (that we know about, anyway) standing in the same room shouting into their cell phones.

  • Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper

    It drove me crazy. It made National Treasure look like a documentary.

  • Desson Thomson, Washington Post

    McConaughey's no Harrison Ford. And no one cracks the whip of originality.

  • Stephen Hunter, Washington Post

    A mediocrity wrapped inside a banality, toasted in a nice, fresh cliche.

Read all 26 critic reviews

See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes

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

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

Featured Audience Ratings

  • John M


    Im pretty sure i wasnt suppose to enjoy this movie at all. Is is suppose to be horrible according to reviews but what i found was 2 hours of fun, humor and action. Now that I know this is a book. I think I need to go look them up.

  • ♥˩ƳИИ &


    "<b>Sahara</b> is action packed with not even one boring moment. I really liked McConaughey and Zahn together on screen. They have great chemistry and work great off of each other. Penelope does a good job in this too. Macy brings humor to the mvoie. I liked his… More

  • Universal D


    Standard buddy action flick adventure fare where gold hunters wind up saving an African country in the process. Fun if predictable, the kind of fantasy where our heroes have a gunfight with a whole army and never get shot even once. Penelope Cruz plays the buxom babe while Steve… More

  • Phil H


    So I've read this is THE most expensive flop in Hollywood history haha was a bit of a surprise to me I must say but I can see why really. The whole franchise prospects based on the 'Dirk Pitt' novels has collapsed after this first film which isn't a big deal really… More

  • Kase V


    Everything about 'Sahara' feels forced. The plot, the action, the characters. Nothing gives off an interesting vibe because it all seems so unoriginal. These treasure hunt movies always feel like a step in the wrong direction to me, and this is another large example. It may… More

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

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