When an oil rig in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia proves unproductive, an aircraft crew are sent to shut the operation down and fly them out. On the flight out over the desert on the way to Beijing, Capt. Frank Towns and co-pilot A.J. are unable to keep their cargo plane, a C-119 Flying Boxcar, in the air when a violent sandstorm strikes. Crash-landing in a remote uncharted part of the desert, the two pilots and their passengers -- a crew of oil workers and a drifter -- must work together to survive by rebuilding the aircraft. Soon, low supplies and a band of merciless smugglers add even greater urgency to their task.














17th December 2004
21 years ago
1 hour 53 minutes
Finishes at 5:44am
$45,000,000 ($63,598,500 today)
Revenue $21,009,180




Movie data last updated 1 day ago on 14th July 2026 at 2:40am (BST). Ratings last updated 5 months ago on 20th January 2026 at 11:31am (GMT). All film data including images and actor information is provided by the TMDb API, but is not endorsed or certified by TMDb. Film ratings provided by OMDb. IMDb, IMDb.COM, and the IMDb logo are trademarks of IMDb.com, Inc. or its affiliates. All product names, logos, trademarks and brands are property of their respective owners. All company, product and service names used in this website are for identification purposes only. Use of these names, logos, and brands does not imply endorsement.