Sahara

Sometimes 'remakes' aren't; they take liberties with the original. This movie didn't do that, they stuck with a good, simple story of men in war. The original started out as a "allied microcosm" propaganda flick, but turned out to be a good solid war movie. The makers of this version don't mess with what works. Jim Belushi provides a good solid focus as the Humphrey Bogart character ("Joe Gunn"), and is ably assisted by the rest of the cast. Not a grand war movie, to be sure, but a good one.

This remake is better than I expected. It sticks pretty close to the original but does change a few details here and there. Belushi is surprisingly effective in the Bogart role. The rest of the cast perform well. It's no substitute for the original but it is an interesting alternative take on the story.

I don't see this as anywhere near the debacle described by the other reviewer, who was obviously put off by elements of the story that were repeated from the 1943 original. Those were different times. And this film chose to honor those conventions rather than trying to rewrite history to kowtow to current thinking. Whether that was the right move or not is, I suppose, debatable. But I was expecting to hate this film, yet I found myself pleasantly surprised.

Although I am generally against remaking classic movies, I must admit that this TV-movie starring Jim Belushi was very well done and was far better than I expected. And Belushi's fine acting was a delightful surprise, too. I recommend that you see the original with Humphrey Bogart and compare. You'll enjoy both.

Sahara is a cinematic pleasure. For fans of Bogart and of James Belushi, this film will excite you. The story may be a little hard to believe that a hand full of men hold off so many Germans, but Hollywood was part of the war effort 1943 and that is to be expected. Besides, whats wrong with wanting to kick a little Nazi butt every now and then? Anyway, the cinematography alone is worth the watching of this movie. Not unlike the desert scenes in Star Wars - Return of the Jedi and those of more recent films like the Mummy and the Mummy Returns, the richness of color and warmth and the brutal sun make for a heightened experience. If you have a chance to watch this film I highly recommend it so you might form your own opinion. After all, it's has to be better than most of the junk out there lately.

One of the classic war films that was made during World War II gets a 90s remake. Sahara starred Humphrey Bogart as the tank commander who joins up with an assortment of soldiers from various allied countries defending a dry desert oasis that a company of Rommel's Afrika Korps doesn't know is dry. It's nearly an annihilation, but a certain divine providence spares two of the defenders.

Stepping into Bogart's very big shoes is Jim Belushi and while nobody is a Humphrey Bogart, Belushi admirably fills the part in his own way.

A lot of very familiar character players in the original Sahara made that one enjoyable. Other than Belushi there are no familiar faces in this film. That's a pity because that roster of actors could never be assembled again.

Sahara itself is not an original, it was a remake of the John Ford classic The Lost Patrol. Later on the plot was shifted to the American west for Last Of The Comanches which starred Broderick Crawford.

There are no Bogeys out there so enjoy this remake of Sahara, it's practically a word for word copy.