Whiteout

In this alleged thriller based on the graphic novel by Greg Rucka and Steve Lieber, we're introduced to the heroine, U.S. Marshall Carrie Stetko (Kate Beckinsale), as she strips and takes a long, sexy, relaxing shower—with steam obscuring strategic sections of her anatomy. Carrie is on Antarctica's Amundsen-Scott Base with her avuncular buddy, Dr. John Fury (Tom Skerritt), and both are eagerly anticipating leaving the frozen tundra when the sudden discovery of a murdered geologist leads them to Vostok—a smaller, more remote Russian base. A flashback to Cold War-era 1957 shows a plane filled with vodka-swilling Russians crashing at the South Pole; a second flashback transports Carrie to Miami, where she lost her confidence on a bust gone bad. But back in the present, U.N. investigator Robert Pryce (Gabriel Macht) turns up with only 72 hours to figure out who the murderer is (and the body count is mounting) before a storm closes in. Ultimately, in stark contrast to that opening scene, Carrie's clad in a thick parka when she's being pursued by the pickax-toting killer during the eventual blizzard. The script for Whiteout was written by two sets of brothers, Jon and Erich Hoeber and Chad and Carey W. Hayes, whose combined ideas add up to no more than implausible drivel, while director Dominic Sena opts for jerky, hand-held photography and flashing unfocused images that merely add to the confusion. Ultimately, Whiteout is a wipeout. Not recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include additional scenes (4 min.). Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are the production featurettes “The Coldest Thriller Ever” (12 min.) and “From Page to Screen” (12 min.), and a bonus digital copy of the film. Bottom line: a small extras package for a forgettable thriller.] (S. Granger)