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36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A wondorous and exciting journey to Egypt and its mysteries, July 7, 2002
Most of the reviews I have read of "Sphinx' have been savage in their condemnation of its quality as a motion picture referring to its "mummy like performances and hysterical leading lady" however I believe it is a terrific adventure story and being a history buff I can see the attention to detail and the painstaking research that went into its making to ensure that everything was as it should be when tackling such an awesome topic as Egypt and all her mysteries."Sphinx" tells the story of Erica Baron, an Egyptologist writing a paper on a rather unknown advisor to Pharoah Seti 1 of the 19th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt. She arives in Cairo to begin her work only to find herself engulfed in the sometimes extremely dangerous Black market in Egyptian Antiquities. She is shown a rare and very beautiful statue of Pharoah Seti 1 which is from his tomb which was supposedly robbed in ancient times. What develops is a very exciting and action packed adventure as Erica tries to unravel this great mystery, in the process finding herself almost sealed up for life in a hidden catacomb, shot at, the target of assasins, and finding herself on the run and not knowing who to trust. The pace of the story really never lets up as she is thrown into one situation after another until through the lucky discovery of an ancient papyrus that came from Tutankhamun's tomb she discovers the truth about the still lost tomb of Seti 1 which contains treasures that make Tutankhamun's like insignificant. Lesley-Anne Down, a fine British actress plays Erica and has , I believe, rarely had such an action oriented role in her career. She is great as the intrepid Egyptologist who will not be frightened off by threats or personal danger in her quest to find out the truth about this lost treasure. She is most ably supported in this production by the very talented Frank Langella, perhaps best known for his role of Dracula. He plays Ahmed Khazzan a mysterious and sophisticated Egyptian in charge of ferreting out the Black market dealers only to be revealed as one himself as he also knows the whereabouts of Seti's magnificent tomb and with his family has been systematically robbing it for years. Ahmed however personally see's the tomb as his private santuary rather than a source of income and it is this that finally allows Erica to discover the truth. The film also has alot of points of value to say about the sacred quality of Egypt's past and how it must be saved from corrupt dealers intent on selling their heritage. Those points alone make the film a good case for ensuring Egypt's treasures remain in Egypt where they rightly belong. "Sphinx" benefits greatly, as I stated before, by the great research that went into the production. The beautiful and historically accurate reconstruction of Egyptian treasures for the scenes inside Seti's tomb are nothing short of brilliant and I might add, breathtaking. The film having been filmed entirely on location in Egypt also helps immensely. The Cairo markets in all their squalor and excitement are there for the viewer to see. The scenes at the Pyramids and in the Valley of the Kings are matchless and the film crew had the great distinction of being allowed to film inside the famed Cairo Museum and so for the first time Tutakhamun's treasures are featured in the early scenes as Erica does her research in the museum files. The earlier flash back scenes to the time of the robbery of Tut's tomb are also excellent and give us a grisly indication of what ancient Egyptian justice was like for Tomb robbers! The film tells an exciting story that never lets up for one moment. Erica comes close to death many times and we as the audience are kept on the edge of our chairs for almost the whole films running time while savouring all the scenic delights that Egypt has to offer. For Arm chair travellers or mystery buffs or individuals interested in Egypt's spellbinding past, you can't go by the excellent "Sphinx". You wont be disappointed!
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