Speed 2 Month Day 24: Cost Destructiveness

Inspired by Day 23’s column on 85 million dollar movies (the average budget of SPEED 2, given the disparity of amounts I discovered), I’m going to do the same today with the most expensive of the budgets (and likely the real one) attributed to SPEED 2, One Hundred and Sixty Million Dollars.

Looking at the movies with a budget of 160 million, it’s just as eclectic bunch as that of yesterday’s group.  Notable is a current film, this year’s GODZILLA feature, which has made almost 200 million in the US alone and still sits in the top 25 of box office draws. Also on the list are the hit films Fast & Furious 6, Xmen: First Class, and Inception, which showed Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s superior ability to Leo DiCaprio. Lesser films like The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Van Helsing, and 2006’s Poseidon, a blatant error in judgement, remaking THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE. As with Day 23, none of these are the focus of today’s column.

SAHARA was the second of novelist Clive Cussler’s books to be adapted to film and also the second centering on character Dirk Pitt. It was a widely publicized film, with actor Matthew McConaughey even traveling the country in his own truck and trailer to make people aware of it. It consisted of a great cast, including white hot Penelope Cruz, Steve Zahn, Lennie James, William H. Macy, Delroy Lindo and some unknown guy named Rainn Wilson. McConaughey was so engrossed in maintaining the integrity of Dirk Pitt that he tried to emulate the look as much as he could, including tinted contacts to get eye color correct. It was an admirable, almost nerd-like devotion that is rarely seen, unless it’s manufactured. McConaughey and Zahn were pretty likeable as a duo (and I like Zahn a lot) and the action sequences are different, interesting and exciting. Sadly, while the movie performed well at the box office, it couldn’t overcome the extreme budget or the aftermath.

SAHARA was the 11^th published Dirk Pitt novel and the movie wastes no time getting to the meat of the story, introducing the character to viewers unaware of his history as quickly as possible. Essentially, Pitt and the team he works for, NUMA (National Underwater and Marine Agency), are retired naval officers that now treasure hunt and troubleshoot. In this story, at the end of the American Civil War, the Confederate Ironclad vessel Texas prepares to leave the country with a shipment of gold in hopes to keep it from Union hands. The vessel disappears after running a blockade. In present day, Pitt gains knowledge of a gold Confederate coin that appeared in the Niger River (that’s in Africa, in case you need help), coincidentally, as he’s nearby diving with the NUMA team. While on the search, he runs afoul of Cruz’ character who works for the World Health Organization, desert nomad warriors and a sadistic dictator of nearby Mali. Eventually the group discovers the Texas, defeats the dictator and recovers the gold. All in a day’s work for Dirk Pitt.

As in Cussler’s earlier novel and movie adaptation, RAISE THE TITANIC, the general premise is sound and interesting, if improbable. Unlike the Titanic, the Texas never left dry dock and was captured by Union soldiers after the war. The real improbability of the tale is twofold. If the desert warriors, the Tuareg, knew about the Texas, why not just take the bloody gold? Is it really possible that a 140 year old vessels cannon could still fire after so much time sitting in the desert covered by sand? Silly plot devices in a generally entertaining romp.

Clive Cussler, who has written more books than I have brain cells, wasn’t pleased with the outcome. He initially was happy with McConaughey’s presence, but has since spit in the face of it. He also sued the producers for ten million dollars, partly in response to perceived contract disagreements, partly for monies he believed owed him for a follow up movie that is unlikely to ever be made, considering the losses incurred. In fact, the information released due to the lawsuit sure opened some eyes when it came to shady dealings of location shooting! Here’s some great testimony from then: Sahara suit

I liked SAHARA. Steve Zahn is great in everything he does, even when it’s a scummy character. Penelope Cruz was fairly entertaining, too. Lennie James can act his way to the moon and back and never get boring. It’s not a bad movie at all, it’s just little more than Saturday afternoon popcorn fun. That’s not to say it’s less of a movie than SPEED 2, it isn’t. It remains far superior to that miserable pile of vituperous excretion. I dare you to say different.

Day 25 tomorrow – shall we celebrate?