CLIVE Cussler's daredevil adventurer Dirk Pitt strides purposefully on to celluloid in this blockbuster treatment of his best-selling novel, directed by Breck Eisner.

Shot with a certain amount of tongue-in-cheek, Sahara is a rollicking romp in the spirit of the great television serials and action films of the 40s and 50s.

Brilliant scientist Dr Eva Rojas (Penelope Cruz) and her colleague Dr Hopper (Glynn Turman), from the World Health Organisation (WHO), are investigating the outbreak of a potentially deadly contagion, believed to originate in Mali.

Unfortunately, gaining access to the country is problematic because of a bloody civil war being waged between tyrannical General Kazim (Lennie James) and the rebel Tuareg nomads.

Eva approaches influential businessman Massarde (Lambert Wilson) to oil the diplomatic cogs so that she and Dr Hopper may safely enter the war zone to collect samples.

Meanwhile, master explorer Dirk Pitt (Matthew McConaughey) and his wisecracking best friend Al Giordino (Steve Zahn) from the National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA) are on a quest to track down a legendary Civil War ironclad battleship, which supposedly vanished in West Africa along with its secret cargo.

Fate conspires to throw the two groups together.

Relying on their wits and daredevil heroics to outsmart Mother Nature and General Kazim's heavily armed troops, Dirk, Al and Eva surmise that the two mysteries may in fact be connected, and the answer lies somewhere beneath the shifting sands of the desert.

Sahara is a well-crafted slice of escapist entertainment that makes good use of its exotic locations and some energetic set pieces.

McConaughey clearly revels in his role as the bronzed, muscle-bound hero of the hour, flashing a dazzling white smile and losing his shirt whenever possible.

Physically, he's more than up to the part, performing many of Dirk's stunts, but the actor possesses a swaggering charm in the face of danger.

Zahn's sidekick steals many of the best comic lines but he's also the voice of reason when Dirk hatches each of his hare-brained schemes.

The rapport between the actors is convincing - you believe that Dirk and Al, with all of their bickering, have been friends since nursery.

Cruz is more than just window-dressing and she strikes a nice line between feisty and feminine, saving Dirk from death on a number of occasions.

Macy chomps a cigar with gusto in a colourful supporting role as the long-suffering boss of NUMA and Lambert Wilson essays yet another oily villain.

Eisner directs the action sequences with flair, overcoming some of the more dubious twists of logic in the screenplay to deliver thrills aplenty.

The explosive finale is particularly satisfying.

Rating: 7/10