1943's Sahara plays like a survival/adventure movie more than a war movie for the first half, as dependable leader Humphrey Bogart tries to get his tank crew threw the desert, meeting other lost souls along and being very ethical indeed despite waning rations. The stand-out is most definitely Rex Ingram as the Sudanese soldier Tambul (who director Zoltan Korda had previously cast as the genie in The Thief of Bagdad), but J. Carrol Naish as the Italian POW and Louis Mercier as Frenchie also evoke a lot of sympathy. The Germans in this, however, are total assholes. Always interesting to watch a MID-World War II movie and see just what public opinion was about this side or that. The Nazis are clear villains, racist and treacherous where the Americans and British are painted as noble and humane. Italy seems to be forgiven, perhaps on behalf of Italian-Americans. In the third act, the war stuff really kicks in with a huge, protracted standoff, where the heroes get to be bold, clever, and in a position to sacrifice their lives for their brothers. A well-made desert warfare movie.

Love the poster for this one.

A classic Bogart war film. Lots of great characters and plot lines run throughout. It's gritty in all the right places and is entertaining from beginning to end.