White Sands

Stars: Willem Dafoe (Platoon, Mississippi Burning, Born On The 4th Of July), Mickey Rourke (9 1/2 Weeks, Johnny Handsome, Harley Davidson And The Marlboro Man). 8.2 million dollars at the boxoffice means there's still quite a crowd left to appreciate this snappy thriller which features sharp writing and nuance-laden acting. Willem Dafoe stars as Ray Dolezal, a deputy sheriff in a small New Mexico town, who is stuck with a dead man in his desert. The man has no identifying papers, but he does have a suitcase with half a million in cash lying next to his body. Acting on a possible lead, Dolezal assumes the dead man's identity, and ends up way over his head in a twisty-turny plot that includes an FBI sting operation, a slimy international arms dealer (played to characteristic grungy perfection by Mickey Rourke) and a romantic liaison with a shrewd businesswoman/adventuress (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio). Director Roger Donaldson (No Way Out, The Bounty) does a good job of maintaining the suspense level throughout the first two-thirds, and even though the final third adds one too many circles of deception for our taste, White Sands sticks to its time tested winning premise (a common man first exposes and then whups the big boys). Audience: Most will enjoy this cagey thriller.