Theatrical Poster
Lone U.S. Marshal assigned to a research facility in the Antarctica stumbles upon the very first murder on this continent. Can Carrie Stetko solve this murder before the sun sets for the next six months?
I’m betting you’ll solve this murder long before the end reveal. You’ll solve this before darkness falls for the next six months. Frankly, you won’t much care whether Carrie manages to solve it or not. That really is the problem within this film. It’s quite predictable and honestly the story is so very average that the entire proceedings feel mediocre because of it. The problem certainly wasn’t with the acting. Everybody does their best with what they have to work with. Kate is semi-believable as a U.S. Marshal. I’ll give her kudos for that. She tries and Tom Skerritt as the doctor assigned to the facility is his usual self. He’s a good actor and really they all did their part but the only thing that rises above in this flick is the setting. It is indeed what gives this film its entertainment value. The special effects with the snow and the storms are very credible. It is as if the Antarctica comes off as an adversary all on its’ own. Without this setting this would be a thriller with a lot less thrills than people are used to. You do have some cool frozen bodies being peeled off the ice along with a little more gore than most thrillers would contain but is that enough to keep you planted in the theater without feeling like you’ve been iced for your money? Not really.
Director Sena? One question weighs on my mind. Why would you open this film with Beckinsale doing a shower scene and a tight shot of her rear adorned in underwear if we were supposed to take the whole U.S. Marshal bit seriously? Honestly, that opening felt so horror film cheese and cliché’ that I almost shut down in my mind on her character. Kate’s actually better than that. What were you thinking? Everyone knows I don’t have a problem with cheese, corn, porn or women in underwear but it did not belong here and felt so out of place. To open with this was a big mistake. It set the tone for the rest of the movie for me. That tone was I couldn’t take any of it seriously. On the upside, it’s nice to see Alex O’Loughlin from Feed in this piece. He’s a good actor and I was pleased with his performance. Again, the actors try to engage you but the setting in the end is what will keep your mind from tuning out and your eyes from watching the clock.
This is neither memorable nor really very thrilling. It is slightly entertaining but I have to say that instead of Whiteout it left me feeling like black out. I wouldn’t have missed much if I had been. This is strictly a DVD rental in my opinion and not really worth theater money for an experience.
