The film has just arrived on at cinemas and it appears that it will have an abbreviated run on the big screen. It is being largely ignored and the critical consensus, not to mention word of mouth, has not been too kind towards it. I feel as I have been abandoned in the midst of the frozen, snow covered tundra for having any sort of affection for it.
At the center of the story is Carrie Stetko (Kate Beckinsale), a US Marshall assigned to a remote base in Antarctica. It is a simple post despite the unfriendly weather, and she is preparing to head back to warmer climates when a dead body is found out on the ice. The first thought is that the pilot who first saw the body mistook a weather balloon or other such debris, but no such luck. It is an actual body, but it gets worse than that. The dead man was murdered, this was no accident. Now it is up to Stetko to find out who murdered the man and why.
When it comes right down to it, this movie is pretty standard thriller fare. Carrie does her due diligence in tracking down who the man was and who he was associated with. Her investigation leads to a trip to a Russian base where a man has promised to give her the answers she seeks. Unfortunately, what she finds there is a man with a mask, an axe, and an ugly disposition.
What is the secret? I'm not going to tell you, but I will say it was a little underwhelming. But the atmosphere that leads up to the revelation is rather involving. In particular, the tension built during the big fight in the midst of a horrendous blizzard, they make the best of the environment as our hero and our villain go at each other in the wind and snow while trying to stay attached to the ropes that connect the various buildings. It is a nicely staged fight that is suitably confusing as to identifying who is who.
Anyway, back to the atmosphere. The film seems to have had a relatively small budget and some of the effects are often a little suspect. Still, there is a lot of atmosphere developed in the small, claustrophobic setting. There are limited places for our characters to go, and to get there they have to brave some not so friendly climates. With this locational limitation, our good guys are generally not terribly far away from the bad guys, and there is always a little tension surrounding the investigation. I admit I was drawn into it.
The characters are rather thinly written, but the performances are generally rather good. Although, you can see them struggling to make it seem more important than it is. Kate Beckinsale does a fine job bringing a toughness to Carrie Stetko, a damaged agent doing her best to overcome her past. Playing opposite her are Tom Skerritt who brings a little credibility to the film and Gabriel Macht, last seen in The Spirit, as a mysterious UN agent who appears out of nowhere to take over the investigation.
Bottomline. The movie is decent. I was drawn into the tale, probably against better judgement. This is a modest film that does not try to do too much with the subject, it has its story and it tells it. Could it have been better? Certainly, but it is still definitely worth spending a little time with.
Mildly Recommended.
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