La esfinge

Okay, so Sphinx is not a great movie, but it's not a bad one, either. Funnily enough, with better film craft, it would be no worse than Raiders of the Lost Ark given they traffic in a lot of the same cliches. But that movie had a comic book nostalgia that gave it energy this film lacks. Without the window dressing, all that's left is the simplistic story. Notice I said story. There's not much here in terms of that, but there's a lot of plot. The characters never seem to tire of doing and saying any number of things to keep the movie going. Some are more interesting than others.

Leslie-Anne Warren, who looks particularly lovely here, plays an Egyptologist who gets pulled into various factions of graverobbers hoping to loot ancient Egyptian treasures. If you're a fan of old movies, you've seen this set up a million times before, the difference being this movie tries hard -- mistakenly -- to give it some solemnity that all those cliffhangers in the 1930s and 1940s did not. There's really no need. This is escapism, not drama, something that by the 1970s and 1980s, the people making the movies had forgotten.

Take Steven Spielberg. Like author Stephen King, he just recycled stuff we've seen a million times before. But Spielberg gave it a bit more gloss, turning B movie ideas in expensive amusement park rides that worked especially on audiences born in the 1950s and 1960s. The biggest problem with Sphinx is director Franklin Schaffner, a remarkably workmanlike filmmaker who somehow hit it big with some pseudo epics like Planet of the Apes and Patton. Now, even if you're a fan of no-nonsense, traditional directing, you'll notice how Schaffner seems to have little style or imagination.

The result is Sphinx often looks nice in terms of pure photography but lacks many of the components of great escapism. Add to it some sloppy editing that makes the story hard to follow, and you're left with a good idea never quite done.

This could have been Erica Baron: Tomb Raider, 20 years before Lara grabbed the headlines. It's got great locations as anyone who's been to Egypt will know, and a half decent story to go with it. Unfortunately instead of being Lara Croft confident and kick-ass, Erica Baron will scream at almost anything and trip over and bump into everyone and everything in her path (and then scream again for good measure). She'll even scream when a sticking plaster is ripped off someone else's face for Christ's sake! She'll then stop, panic and then run (while flailing her arms around) when things get dangerous. Things definitely moved on in the 20 years after this was made until Lara arrived.

Even as a Dr of Egyptology she's sub-standard. Despite being able to read hieroglyphics, she's clearly never been to Egypt before as she has absolutely no idea about the culture, and even when arriving at the great pyramid, she goes for a camel ride before seeing any Egyptian history! Deary me. When speaking to he locals she'll only attempt to speak English and give up on them before they've had time to gesture or try and communicate. Actually, speaking English to them just makes their faces completely blank as if they've not heard her at all!

Despite this the story moves along to its relatively good ending, despite a shoot out at the end where every bullet hits a nearby jug or vase and never the target!!

All in all, highly recommended!!!

Lesley Anne Down plays Egyptologist Erica Baron who gets more than she bargained for when she becomes involved with the plundering of Egyptian artifacts on the black market, thrown in to this mix is murder, betrayal, love, and a mummy's curse! 'Sphinx' is one of those enjoyable films which is pure hokum which makes for a passable rainy day film.

Frank Langella plays Down's mysterious love interest. John Gielgud who is credited as 'Sir' has a small role as an antique dealer, it's interesting to see John Rhys Davies in this production before he appeared in the similarly themes 'Raiders' the Egyptian locations look great as photographed by Ernest Day it's great to see this film in it's original aspect ratio, as i've seen this on television in dreadful 'pan and scan''Sphinx' would make a great 'drinking game' for instance take a drink every time Lesley Anne Down screams!

Badly written adaptation of a bad novel and a badly directed film that relies on exotic locations and glitzy set decoration, featuring a beautiful "Egyptologist" who has never before been to Egypt, who takes a taxi from the Nile Hilton to the Cairo Museum (next door to each other), and goes into the tomb of Tutankhamun with a Polaroid camera to "do research". (If the public does not understand why this is laughable, they deserve this film). The title "Sphinx" has nothing to do with the plot, which is loosely about the discovery of a lost tomb. Not exactly PC because all the "good" Egyptians are played by Europeans and the "bad" Egyptians are played by Egyptians. In the opening credits the cast names are spelled out in hieroglyphs, which seems to be the extent of the research wasted on this turkey.

This is probably the slowest movie I have ever seen, and that's saying a lot since I watch BBC TV on satellite. The story is confusing, the acting is poor, and the casting is unbelievable. Lesley-Anne Down is the movie's only redeeming quality, and she spoils it by having to speak that innane dialogue! I've watched worse, but I've never sat through a slower movie!