Whiteout (www.the-usher.com)

"You crazy bitch!"

As her assignment comes to an end in the American research facility in Antarctica, U.S. Marshal Carrie Stetko (Beckinsale) is sent to investigate a body discovered out in the frozen wilderness. Realising that the man was murdered, she is joined by U.N. operative Robert Pryce (Macht) to look into the first homicide on the ice covered continent but their investigation is hampered by a massive storm heading towards the base. With time ticking away, Carrie must put the pieces together and stop the killer before the snowstorm hits.

High concepts have been employed to enhance the story of many a thriller but with ‘Whiteout’ are we about to see that concept become a character?

Based on the graphic novel by Greg Rucka and Steve Lieber, ‘Whiteout’ might seem like your normal thriller. A lone FBI agent has to investigate a murder within a small, isolated community but has to race against the clock to solve it. While this might sound like many a thriller that has gone before, ‘Whiteout’ has something different. It is set in the extreme conditions of Antarctica.

There has been plenty of times when a weather condition or an area could be defined as a character in a film. Everything from ‘Twister’ to ‘A Perfect Storm’ and ‘Manhattan’ to ‘LA Story’ have used conditions or places as what could be defined as characters in the film but ‘Whiteout’ combines the two. The US research facility close to the South Pole in Antarctica is the setting and with the location been one of the most inhabitable places on Earth, the setting could be defined as a character in its own right. Any murder investigation is difficult but when you have to face the extremes of minus eighty degrees Fahrenheit, snowstorms and the fact that you could die at moment just by been in the environment itself, makes you think this would add to the tension but, for the most part, it doesn’t.

The problem in setting a murder mystery in a small community with only a limited number of key characters is that the writing has to be sharp to keep you guessing until the very last reveal but unfortunately ‘Whiteout’ doesn’t quite achieve this. ‘Kalifornia’, ‘Gone in Sixty Seconds’ and ‘Swordfish’ director Dominic Sena has gathered together a decent case, including the always beautiful Kate Beckinsale, who is crying out for a challenging role, as FBI agent Carrie Stetko, a woman with her own inner demons, the up and coming Gabriel Macht as U.N. operative Robert Pryce, Tom Skeritt as Dr. John Fury, Columbus Short as pilot Delfy and Alex O’Loughlin as the roguish Russell Haden but with only these few main stars, with even the smallest piece of observation will allow you to figure out the person behind the murder and their reasons for it.

‘Whiteout’ is a high concept idea with a lack of something special to make it standout. While the Antarctic setting provides its own drama, the lack of characters mean the mystery is far too easy to figure out. The snow might be falling but you will plough through this one with ease.

PICTURE & SOUND

The Blu-Ray disc presents the movie in High Definition wide screen 2:40 up to 1080p, with Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround sound.

BONUS FEATURES

Whiteout: The Coldest Thriller ever (12.02 mins/HD)
Producer Susan Downey, co-producer David Gambino, executive producer Joel Silver and stars Kate Beckinsale, Gabriel Macht, Tom Skerrit, Alex O’Loughlin and Columbus Short talk about filming in the extreme conditions of Northern Canada, filling in for the Antarctic setting of the movie. With their location been even colder that the actual real life setting of the film, the cast and crew talk about the movie and what it was like filming in such a hostile environment.

Whiteout: From page to screen (12.04 mins/HD)
Graphic novel creators Greg Ruck and Steve Lieber talk about the creation of the original book and the adaption to the silver screen.

Deleted Scenes (4.11 mins/HD)
Two scenes dealing with a minor disturbance on the base and Stetko’s introduction to the Russian base suffer from the lack of an introduction or commentary track to explain why they were removed.

Trailer (2.02 mins/HD)
Watch the preview of the movie that promoted the film in cinemas and online.

Previews
Trailers for ‘The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus’, ‘The Hurt Locker’ and ‘The Keeper’

OVERALL

The Blu-Ray treatment for ‘Whiteout’ is one that fans should enjoy. The lack of a commentary is a shame but the featurettes are good, showing the difficulties of making the movie, making this a decent package.

BLU-RAY

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2009