Whiteout 2009 3*

      U.S. Marshal Carrie Stetko is three days from resigning at the end of her tour at an international research station in Antarctica.  She is still haunted by an incident from her past??  This continent's first winter storm is coming when a body is discovered in the tundra and it is wearing no cold weather gear?  Carrie investigates and she soon finds more bodies.  Her job is to find a motive and a murderer before the storm arrives and her departure date.  Robert Pryce is a U.N. agent and he appears seemingly out of nowhere to help.  An aging physician is also about to retire, a nervous mission chief is involved, a downed Soviet plane is discovered and the weather's deadly elements add to the story.  Can Carrie trust Pryce and does she still have what it takes to solve this mystery?

     Based at the South Pole research station, Stetko is the only law enforcement for hundreds of miles.  She's usually dealing with minor concerns and trying to withstand the isolation.  Now, she has to try and track down a killer in the remotest place on Earth.  This wintry murder mystery based on a graphic novel involves grisly violence, including autopsy sequences, blood-spurting wounds plus more.  There's also some adult material related to sexuality and drinking but it's glossed over fairly swiftly in favor of murder and mayhem instead.  Expect a good bit of strong language.  3* (This movie is OK)

101 min, Action directed by Dominic Sena and written by Jon and Eric Hoeber sith Kate Bekinsale, Gabriel Macht, Tom Skerritt, Columbus Short, Alex O’Loughlin, Shawn Doyle, Joel Kellere, Jesse Todd, Arujthur Holden, Erin Hicock, Bashar Rahal, Julian Cain, Dennis Keiffer, Andrei Runtso, Roman Varshavsky.

Note:  Imdb 5.5* out of 10* with 37,382 reviews, 7% with 117 critic reviews 21% with 250,000+ audience scores, Metacritic 28 out of 100 with 19 critic reviews 5.9 out of 10 with 43 user scores, Common Sense Media James Rocchi 2* out of 5*, 2* positive role models, drinking, drugs & Smoking, 3* sex, 4* violence, language, The Guardian 2* out of 5* Jeremy Kay, Amazon 4.2* out of 5* with 936 reviews, Letterboxd 2.3* out of 5*.


Special Note:  The British Flag in the Communications room is hanging upside down.  This is an inside joke common among South Pole installations.  Since they are at the bottom of the world, if you were to look at the globe properly, the flag would appear to be right side up.  Screenwriter and novelist Alexander Stuart wrote an early draft of the script and Reese Witherspoon was still scheduled to star.  There was a studio-sponsored research trip to Barrow Alaska, the northernmost point in continental North America.  Scientists said this was the closest location in feel to McMurdo Station in Antarctica.  Both real and fake snow were used in this production.  The US Marshals Service in 1989 establish its legal presence for the American section and the Americans that live there.  It's under the jurisdiction of the US Attorney for Hawaii.

Mistakes:  Kate Beckinsale's character never wears a face mask.  If the winds were reaching 100 mph and the temperature was -65, her face would be frostbitten in a matter of 1 or 2 minutes.  During a medical procedure, the doctor proceeds without using one iota of sterile technique, most notably no mask or gloves, let alone Beta-dine antiseptic which would have left the hand and forearm bright red.  The word doctoral is misspelled in Anton Weiss's thesis title as "doctorial."