Whiteout

Set on the isolated landmass of Antarctica, Whiteout is a routine crime thriller based on the graphic novel written by Greg Rucka.

The inhospitable conditions provide director Dominic Sena (Gone In 60 Seconds) with vast scope for action-packed set pieces as the characters battle against the elements.

Indeed, the prologue set in 1957 is a spectacular plane crash into the snow, the reason for which becomes clear towards the end of the film.

No other sequences, including the grand finale in the eye of the titular storm, come close to the adrenaline-pumping thrill of these opening five minutes.

Considering the rather chilly conditions, the attractive cast spends the majority of the film in bulky, unflattering, thermal jackets, hats, gloves and goggles.

To compensate, Sena shamelessly opens with a steamy shower scene for Kate Beckinsale, complete with a lingering close-up of her pert posterior in white underwear bending over to start the water running.

In the name of sexual equality, Australian co-star Alex O'Loughlin emerges from his shower room down the hall, flashing his chest, with only a sopping wet towel to spare his blushes.

Gratuitous nudity dispensed with, the linear narrative kicks into first gear - and largely stays there - at the Amundsen-Scott Research Station, where 100mph winds and temperatures dipping 120 degrees below zero render this winter wonderland virtually crime-free.

US Marshal Carrie Stetko (Beckinsale) is the law and in a couple of days, she will be hanging up her badge for good.

Out of the blue, Carrie is summoned miles from the relative warmth of base camp to investigate a sighting of a body in the snow.

Accompanied by her trust pilot Delfy (Columbus Short) and Dr John Fury (Tom Skerritt), the US Marshal discovers the frozen remains of a geologist, Weiss (Marc James Beauchamp), in the dead zone.

Further examination reveals that the victim was murdered and so Carrie reluctantly heads up her first homicide case.

U.N.

Special Agent Robert Pryce (Gabriel Macht) arrives in Antarctica unannounced and joins the investigation, clearly knowing more than he is letting on.

Whiteout abides largely by logic, quickly ruling out the majority of the cast as the killer by virtue of the time it takes to travel between bases in the region.

Characters reveal back-stories by staring into the camera and confessing all, while Sena cuts to a flashback.

Beckinsale's tormented heroine has a short emotional arc and is the only person to be surprised when one of her colleagues is revealed as a scoundrel.

Macht, Skerritt and Short are poorly served in sketchily written roles.

As the whiteout approaches the base, the characters risk being stranded in Antarctica for another six months.

We're grateful to escape after a pedestrian 101 minutes.