UnowPriceless hyped garbage

Borserie it is finally so absorbing because it plays like a lyrical road odyssey that’s also a detective story.

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Lollivan It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Leofwine_draca WW2 films set in North Africa were once a mainstay in Hollywood with literally dozens of similar efforts being put out over the years between the 1940s and the 1960s. They always appeal to me with their mix of camaraderie and the fight against both the enemy and a truly inhospitable terrain. SAHARA is one of the earliest of these films, shot while the war was still in full swing, with the Californian locations standing in for Africa and doing a very good job of it too.The film is directed by the great Zoltan Korda and as such is full of the excitement and danger that you'd expect from the big man. I found it highly superior in that there's no romantic sub-plot to slow it down, no women to get in the way of the story. Instead we have an evolving storyline in which the heroes of the piece must use their wits, their brawn, and their sheer stubbornness to survive an extremely dangerous situation.This film boasts crisp black and white direction and authentic battle sequences. The characters grow on you as the running time goes on so that the whole thing builds to a thrilling climax. Humphrey Bogart is naturally charming as the leader of the group, but it's in the character roles that this film really excels. J. Carrol Naish is fine as the captured Italian and Rex Ingram very good as the African soldier caught up in the events. Kurt Krueger captures the essence of the dangerous Nazi spirit very well. Lloyd Bridges has a minor role years before he himself would take the Bogart role in such pictures. Altogether, SAHARA is a fine war film and one of the best I've watched recently.

Scarecrow-88 One of Bogie's films for Columbia Pictures is a real winner: a WWII film about a trio of Americans, a gaggle of British, a British Sudanese, a "Frenchie", and an Italian and German prisoners of war all riding on top of and inside a lone US tank Bogie's Sgt Gunn across North Africa as the Nazis take Tobruk. Needing to find water, the Sudanese (a wonderful Rex Ingram) knows of wells to the South (which is the only direction not taken by or surrounded by German forces), and Gunn follows his directions, eventually finding Bir Acroma, a temple with a man-made well with just enough water to keep them all from starving. As a regimen of Nazis (and a guide) are on their way, desperate for water, Gunn learns from a couple of soldiers real thirsty that about 500 men are in a mechanized battalion heading their way. Sending the Germans on their way with a fake proposition over trading food for water, Gunn and company (except for the Nazi captive who actually knows English) plan to fight the battalion, using the Bir Acroma as their outpost. Can they keep them at bay, while Gunn's fellow soldier, Waco (Bruce Bennett) drives off for potential ally reinforcements?An exotic setting (director Korda knows how to direct adventure films as evident by the excellent Four Feathers and popular Jungle Book) with the desert looking mighty treacherous and the windy sand storms quite overbearing. Add the tension of encroaching Germans with more men, limited water, and tiring wait for the hopes of help on the horizon, "Sahara" is the perfect kind of war film to keep the viewer on the edge of their seat. The weaponry is as limited as the water, and the film shows Gunn and his small squadron doing all they can to battle the enemy with everything they have.Memorable scenes include a marvelous J Carrol Naish standing up to Kurt Kreuger's nasty Nazi about his people's misfortune and his stand against what Hitler is all about and the soldiers who fall for his madness & Rex's Tambul smothering Kurt's face in the sand. The lengthy standoff at the end at Bir Acroma, with forces from both sides dwindling, has a lot of likable characters (including terrific character actor Dan Duryea as Gunn's other American soldier, Richard Nugent as the British captain, and Louis T Mercier as the lone French soldier who had worked for the French Resistance, having seen those he knew in Occupied France perish at the hands of the Nazis, with Patrick O'Moore as a British soldier and Lloyd Bridges in a bit part as the first casualty on the desert trip) involved in the gunfire and shootout. Rex's scene with Bennett as they talk wives while inside the well is a nicely warm moment where two men from different worlds find common ground...their comraderie is nifty. Duryea and Bennett's betting is a source of amusement as well...particularly when they bet on the decisions Gunn will make. Naish's begging to come with the tank crew and Bogie's deciding to allow him to join them is a real dramatic highpoint. Here is where Naish proves that he's more than some B-movie minor talent. Naish deserves to be re-evaluated by buffs, in my opinion.The sacrifices of war is nothing new in films like Sahara, as men risk it all to represent what they believe in: freedom. Kreuger's Nazi is an appropriate villain and despicable symbol of Hitler, in a plane shooting at Gunn's Loulabelle (name of his tank after his beloved horse!) before they shoot him down. Tambul's Sudan soldier is a key figure in the film, his black skin repulsive to the Nazi, with it only fitting that he kills Kreuger, dying a hero in the process as the Germans fire at him with heavy artillery. Bogart's stalwart, courageous hero, speechifying the danger of their stand against the Germans but why it is important to do so, is a joy to watch for me personally. But the whole cast behind him is first rate.

larry.launders First, the story is excellent. Not overly fancy or complicated, and it is very well told. Combining 'soldiers' from many sides of both the Allies and the Axis, beyond the main plot point it is a great story to watch.There is action, there is a bit of drama, and there is suspense. And of course, there is Bogart. It can be a little pedestrian at times, the dialog a little hammy, but given that it was released in 1943 it can be forgiven. Character interactions that are the 'must see' items of this movie - 1) The German pilot in regards to the Sudanese soldier, and Bogie's response. 2) The Italian prisoner's dressing down of the German pilot. 3) The French soldiers' description of 'the Nazi.' 4) The Sudanese solders' (yes, again!) conversation with 'Waco' about marriage. 5) The entire crews' visible yet silent reaction to their first decision regarding the Italian prisoner. If I say anymore I'll have to mark this review as having spoilers! It's a cheap DVD, GET IT! If it comes on your TV or you can stream it, WATCH IT!

SimonJack "Sahara" stands out as an excellent movie in all areas — acting, cinematography, directing, musical score, plot and scripting, technical fields, et al. It's one of the top, if not the best, of the desert war films made about World War II.Humphrey Bogart gives a performance equal to his best in other great films. J. Carrol Naish shows again, why he was such a highly regarded actor for his ability to play a widely diverse cast of characters. The other actors all give stellar performances, with nice early career parts for Dan Duryea and Lloyd Bridges. Others have discussed the great script and directing with attention to the personal details of the various characters. The diversity of nationalities and race, along with the acting, lends great humanity to the film. Some modern viewers still take exception to portrayal of so many German soldiers as cruel or as fanatical Nazis. But, some military veterans have commented about realism of the film as well. I think this film did a good job, even with it being in the middle of WW II, in showing common German soldiers as well as a couple of fanatical Nazi officers. Remember, the Nazis were a political party. Not all of the established military officers were members, but some surely were. And, for younger people today who may think of this as too overtly propagandistic or overboard, I highly recommend seeing the documentary film, "The Unknown Soldier"(2006). Produced in Germany, from an in-depth exploration and exposé of German soldiers in WWII, the film shows how deeply the "super-race" fanaticism penetrated even within the regular military ranks. That exposé was the result of many grandchildren of WWII German soldiers finding and asking questions about photos showing their grandfathers with hanged Jews, murdered women and children, and the likes. So, "Sahara" came out right in the middle of the war and was quite accurate in its scenes discussing the Nazis under Hitler and the Italians under Mussolini. Some reviewers think that the film got a little "preachy" in a couple of places where Bogart's character talks about defeating the Nazis. Anyone who has served in combat units in times of hostilities, if not in actual fighting, can attest to the reality of these scenes as well. There are always some GIs, Marines, sailors or airmen who have a deep sense of patriotism, honor and right over oppression – and they will express it at times. So, even in that regard, I think this film adds another important touch of realism. This film received three Oscar nominations for 1943, a year that was crowded with nominations from many superb films. Among those were some other all-time top war theme films – Casablanca, Watch on the Rhine, For Whom the Bell Tolls and In Which We Serve. "Sahara" is indeed a classic World War II film that ranks right up there with the best of them.