Plane crash in the Gobi Desert. A bunch of people are stranded. No water. Bandits. Will they escape?

This was the second in a four-movie marathon at the local twelve-plex, and it was a good one. The desert scenery was breathtaking, the plane crash was EXTREMELY scary (especially to this poor Otter, who doesn't like planes to begin with) and the suspense was built nicely.

The various characters were also really good...there was a woman added to the group this time, not surprising, played very well by Miranda Otto. Dennis Quaid chewed scenery in a most satisfying manner, and the mix of people thrown together was good. Giovanni Ribisi was especially compelling as the wierd guy who convinces them to build the plane, he was really creepy and effective.

Not a lot of explodo, but suspenseful, interesting, and pretty. Well worth seeing.

Interestingly enough, although this seems very close to the 1965 movie and although this film version gives credit to that version as well as the novel by Trevor, the entry in IMDB for this film only gives credit to the screenwriter for the 1965 version, and one has to look at the entry for that version to find out that it came from an earlier novel. Not good...