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Whiteout (R, 2009)

common sense media says

South Pole-set whodunnit is bloody but bland.

parents & educators say
  • 67% say violence is an issue
  • 33% say sexual content is an issue
See all 5 reviews | Review it

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this wintry murder mystery based on a graphic novel involves grisly violence, including autopsy sequences, blood-spurting wounds, and 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. Expect a good bit of strong language (including "f--k" and "s--t")

Positive messages: The lead character's trust issues raise the concept of whether being an authority figure is enough reason to inspire trust in others (the answer seems to be "no" -- "sometimes, a badge is just a badge," the main character notes while relating a tale of earlier betrayal by a fellow officer).
Positive role models: Main character Carrie is a fairly standard-issue, stalwart law officer -- resolute, tough, dogged, and determined -- who's as comforting as she is cliched.
Violence: Extensive grisly violence, including beatings, shootings, bludgeoning, stabbings, and more. Cut throats gush blood; a body falls from a great height. A neck is broken bare-handed; an ice axe is used as a weapon; a head is slammed into a mirror. Fingers are amputated on-screen after frostbite damages them beyond repair. Close-up images of surgical procedures (including autopsies) and forensic investigations.
Sex: Brief male nudity in a group of streakers; glimpses of pornography; lingering shots of the main female character getting ready for the shower.
Language: Frequent strong language throughout, including "f--k," "s--t," "hell," "bitch," "damn," "oh my God," "goddamn," and more.
Consumerism: Not applicable.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Characters drink hard liquor; references  to an unseen marijuana plant.
Our ratings and reviews are informed by child development guidelines. Learn more.

More on Whiteout

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
  • Families can talk about the movie's violence. Is it less upsetting than what's typically shown in a "horror" movie? What makes this a "thriller" instead?
  • Is Carrie a positive female role model? How does she compare to other female law officers in movies and TV shows?
  • What drives people to explore the South Pole? What scientific work goeson there? What happens to people living under those conditions ofisolation and harsh weather?

What's the story?

What's the story?
Based at the South Pole research station, U.S. Marshall Carrie Stetko (Kate Beckinsale) is the only law enforcement for hundreds of miles. She's dealing with minor concerns and trying to withstand the isolation before she's rotated out in a few days' time -- but when a dead body is found on the Antarctic ice, she has to try and track down a killer in the remotest place on Earth.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 

Based on a graphic novel by Greg Rucka, WHITEOUT has a unique setting in the frozen, deadly remote wastes of Antarctica. But that's not enough to make up for an entirely familiar plot, with Stetko trying to catch a killer among a small pool of suspects that includes someone close to her. Even after her box office success with the Underworld films, Beckinsale makes an unlikely action heroine; she seems far too hesitant and hurt to be a real-world law enforcement official.

The other actors -- Tom Skerritt as a friendly base doctor, Gabriel Macht as a U.N. troubleshooter who may be trouble -- don't fare much better. And director Dominic Sena never gets above a  made-for-TV-level, even with the expensive CGI snowscapes and sudden squalls that he throws around in the finale. Whiteout may take place in the most isolated place on Earth, but it feels curiously distant from itself, as slick as ice and about as cold. 

Movie themes & details

Movie Details
Studio: Warner Bros.
Director: Dominic Sena
Cast: Gabriel Macht, Kate Beckinsale, Tom Skerritt
Genre: Thriller
Run time: 96 minutes
Theatrical release: September 11, 2009
DVD release: January 19, 2010
MPAA Rating: R
MPAA explanation: violence, grisly images, brief strong language and some nudity
Watch our review
This review was written by James Rocchi
 
 

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What parents & educators say

15
Based on 3 parent & educator reviews:
  • 67% say violence is an issue
  • 33% say sexual content is an issue
  • 33% say language is an issue
Read the reviews

Most useful reviews by all members

2Simple
adult
15
 
Why was this only given 2 stars?? It was really good!! Very scary!
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helped me decide (6) | had useful details (6) | read my mind (8)
dolphin11
parent of 15 and 17 year old
15
 
i thought it was a very boring movie. not much action. a real sleeper!
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helped me decide (4) | had useful details (6) | read my mind (6)
stacymavros
adult
16
 
Your best bet...look for a better movie to watch--boring.
Honestly....this one was on the boring side...too predictable and then a fuzzy sort of ending...may be worth a rent if not much else is available at the moment but don't pin your hopes on this movie being very entertaining or interesting.
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helped me decide (5) | had useful details (4) | read my mind (5)
Scream
kid, 12 years old
15
 
its ok
its ok
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helped me decide (4) | had useful details (4) | read my mind (6)
MikaylaaMadisonn
teen, 16 years old
10
 
Love it! :D
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helped me decide (4) | had useful details (4) | read my mind (4)

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