Sahara

Sahara (1943)

*** (out of 4)

Exciting and highly entertaining WW2 drama has Humphrey Bogart playing the leader of a tank crew who are slowly trying to make their way to safety by crossing the Sahara Desert. Soon the group of men begin to struggle as the sand storms and lack of water begin to have a toll on them so they decide to give their lives and battle a large number of German's. This is certainly one of the better WW2 dramas out there and I guess it's what you'd call a "man's movie" since there isn't a single woman in the film. The movie works so well because of the wonderful cast who turn in some great and memorable performances. Bogart leads the way and turns in another winning performance but I'd stop short of calling it amongst his best. He certainly fits that tough guy role better than anyone in history so there's no problem believing anything his character is doing. The supporting cast is where the real greatness is as several members are able to outshine Bogie. J. Carrol Naish gives one of his greatest performances with a spot on Italian accent. It's a real shame so many people just remember Naish from his later day exploitation titles because he was certainly one of the better character actors from this era. Lloyd Bridges, Rex Ingram, Bruce Bennett and Richard Nugent also add great support. Guy Kingsford also should receive special attention as Stegman. I think the best part of the movie is the first sixty-minutes or so where the men are having to deal with the desert as their main enemy. The effects of them dealing with a sand storm was very well done as was a terrific scene where the men get to taste water for the first time in days. I think the later part of the story gets a tad bit far fetched but one should also keep in mind that movies like this were being made to make those watching them feel proud of the troops battling in the real war.