With its treasure hunters and American Civil War backstory, Sahara prompts obvious comparison with the 2004 release National Treasure. But this also belongs to a long literary and cinematic tradition that includes Allan Quatermain, Indiana Jones and the stories of Kipling. Here the hero is author Clive Cussler's creation Dirk Pitt (Matthew McConaughey), an adventurer and salvage expert who stumbles across evidence that a long-lost American Civil War battleship may have ended up in the desert in West Africa. Along for the ride are Steve Zahn as Pitt's sidekick, and Penélope Cruz as a World Health Organisation doctor investigating a possible plague outbreak. Throw in a local dictator, Tuareg tribesmen and the odd camel, and you have the convoluted and at times incomprehensible plot. However, the action sequences are impressive, the locations and villains suitably exotic, and the whole thing remains good fun when taken with a large pinch of salt.

Seasoned adventurer and treasure hunter Dirk Pitt, a former Navy SEAL, sets out for the African desert with his wisecracking buddy Al in search of a confederate ironclad battleship rumored to have vanished long ago, the main draw being the treasure supposedly hidden within the lost vessel. When the daring duo come across Dr. Eva Rojas, a beautiful scientist who is juggling an escape from a warlord and a mission to stop the spread of a powerful plague, their desert expedition begins to heat up.