'Sahara': Big, goofy, tons-o-fun Hollywood escapism

Sometimes, "Sahara" is like Indiana Jones Lite.

Sometimes, it's like "Lawrence of Arabia" Lite.

And sometimes, it's even like James Bond Lite.

Paramount Pictures 'Sahara' B The verdict: Escapism the way it used to be done, with just the right touch of swashbuckling, tongue-in-cheek pizzazz. Director: Breck Eisner Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Steve Zahn, Penelope Cruz Run time: 127 minutes Release date: April 8, 2005 Rating: PG-13 for action violence. See showtimes On the web Official movie site View the trailer    Trailers require Quicktime Rate "Sahara"   Go see it   Make it a matinee   Wait to rent   Don't bother Voter Limit: Once per Hour View Poll Results

But lite — er, light — is the key to this raucously nimble and cheerfully silly action adventure that finally gives Matthew McConaughey a role that fits his carefree, sexy, Southern-boy-scoundrel insouciance.

Ever since he seduced audiences in "Dazed and Confused," Hollywood hasn't had a clue what to do with him. He's played lawyers in "Amistad" and "A Time to Kill." A religious scholar in "Contact." JLo's sex object in "The Wedding Planner." Kate Hudson's sparring partner in "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days." A stock fantasy/sci-fi hero in "Reign of Fire."

None of these parts tapped McConaughey's laid-back catnip swagger which, in its way, echoes Errol Flynn's Aussie swashbuckling 70 years ago.

"Sahara" does. And no wonder — McConaughey is also the co-producer. He plays the unfortunately-named Dirk Pitt, adventurer, treasure hunter and ex-Navy SEAL. Pitt works for the National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA), taking orders from, Admiral James Sandecker (nattily played by William H. Macy), who mainly functions as the Charlie (as in "Charlie's Angels") figure to the irrepressible Dirk and his wise-cracking sidekick, Al ( Steve Zahn at his zany, zonked-out best).

The treasure hunt this time is for the Texas, a Civil War Ironclad that sailed into the mists of Virginia's James River over a hundred years ago and into mystery. Pitt is convinced the Texas has somehow ended up in the dunes of West Africa. With Sandecker's reluctant blessing and financial backing, he and Al head for Nigeria and Mali, where they run into the World Health Organization's Dr. Eva Rojas (Penelope Cruz)), who's on a different quest: to find the source of a plague-like illness that's already killed thousands.

"Sahara" sticks to the basics. The bronzed good-guy hero, all rascally fearlessness and flashing white teeth. The wacky but loyal pal. The pretty woman in need of rescuing (she also rescues back). The cigar-chomping boss who says things like, "Not a Panama!" in reference to a reckless maneuver that didn't work when Dirk tried it back in, well, Panama.

On the side of Eeeevil, as Donald Pleasence used to say in the "Halloween" movies, is a bad-guy warlord (Lennie James), with a passion for classic cars and antique dueling pistols, and a worse-guy shady French industrialist (Lambert Wilson), whose questionable good intentions take a back seat to his unquestionable greed.

Plus, there are speedboat chases, camel races, tanks, trains, helicopters, a cavalry charge and a crashed bi-plane which Al fashions into an ingenious gizmo that sends them wind-surfing across the desert.

Preposterous? Absolutely. So are the you-gotta-be-kidding coincidences, the daring escapes and the breathless derring-do in general.

But it's all handled very well by director Breck Eisner (son of Eeeevil Michael), who makes an admirable feature debut. Obviously, an Ironclad is no lost Ark of the Convenant and, similarly, Eisner is no Steven Spielberg. Still, "Sahara" is entertaining on its own more-limited terms. The pace is lightning fast, with short breaks between the impressively-staged action set-pieces for some good-humored character interaction (and, of course, romance; Cruz and McConaughey actually fell in love during the shoot).

The movie may be a little too careless about making any sense and some of the "deeper" themes about the plight of Africa are trivialized. It doesn't matter. McConaughey's Boy Scout enthusiasm is infectious. Cruz's turn as a beauty-with-a-med-school-degree is leagues better than Monica Bellucci's similar role in "Tears of the Sun." And Zahn is Zahn. Which is always a good thing.

"Sahara" is a big, goofy, entirely disposable, tons-o-fun Hollywood Action Flick. Everything you need to know about it is summed up in the line Zahn says to McConaughey when they've got to save western Africa from blowing up: "I'll find the bomb. You get the girl!"