Whiteout

Whiteout is a thriller on ice. And that’s being kind. U.S. Marshall Carrie Stetko (Kate Beckinsale) punishes herself for someone else’s mistake and relocates to Antarctica, where rope lines link one building to the next, and to travel between them you have to lock on with a carabineer so as not to be blown off into the great white wonder. So how, then, did someone find a body in the middle of nowhere, miles from Stetko’s station? And did I mention that darkness is ready to fall for six months so if they don’t solve the murder—and fast!—they’re all screwed? Stetko ends up being joined by Doc (Tom Skerritt) and a U.N. operative (Gabriel Macht). None of them does much to solve the crime, with most the action occurring in flashbacks to Stetko’s arrest-gone-bad that led her to this white hell in the first place. Every opportunity for a double-cross goes unchecked. Every chance for a crazy blizzardly twist lost. Even the crescendo scene is a bit lifeless, leaving the viewer wanting for more. Tinseltown. Rated R