Whiteout

By Jeff Niesel

Whiteout commences with a shot of an old Russian airplane crashing to the ice and snow of the South Pole. Flash forward to the present day and a group of US geologists have set up exploratory camps on that same frozen tundra. Due to the sub-freezing temps, there’s no real crime to speak of. But just in case, Marshal Carrie Stetko (Kate Beckingsale) is stationed at one camps. She’s about to head home for the summer when she gets a call about a possible dead body. So she heads out to investigate and, predictably, realizes it’s not just an isolated incident.Turns out, a geologist has been murdered, and she quickly figures out why. A group of guys have discovered the old Russian plane and its precious cargo, setting off a series of deaths and double-crossings. For some reason, director Dominic Sena thought it was a good idea to have a fight scene in the middle of a whiteout. Not a good move. The blurring snow obscures everything to the point that you can’t tell who’s fighting whom. Physically fit, Beckingsale looks great. But she simply doesn’t have enough screen presence to carry this sorry film.