Whiteout

Originally Reese Witherspoon was attached to star in Whiteout, a 2009 adaptation of a graphic novel. She must have gotten around to reading the script, because the starring role fell to Kate Beckinsale, in a clear-cut example of a delineation of the Hollywood pecking order.

The film is set in Antarctica, and in early example of how dopey this movie is, it gives us an establishing title card that reads: "Antarctica. The coldest and most remote place on Earth." Well, duh. Apparently this is a film for those people who don't know that.

Beckinsale plays a U.S. marshal who is assigned to the South Pole. Since she spends almost the entire film in heavy winter clothing, she obliges us with a long, lingering shower scene to open things up (with strategically placed steam; Beckinsale is past having to do nude scenes). Maybe this is where Witherspoon bailed--she certainly looked at the Oscar on her mantle and said to herself, "My days of doing shower scenes are over."

The plot has to do with a lost Russian cargo plane and some murders. I'm at a loss to understand how a murderer can remain at large for such a long time, considering he's got to be in one particular building, since travel is pretty much limited in the harsh environment. But Whiteout is never interested in making a lot of sense. I'm not sure what it's interested in--bad CGI scenes of a blizzard? The direction is by Dominic Sena, and it's consistently awful--action scenes are confusing and murky, and the acting is full of italics. Beckinsale is game, but Tom Skerritt, as the crusty, helpful doctor, seems embarrassed.