White Sands (1992)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Roger Donaldson

Writer (WGA):

Daniel Pyne (written by)

Release Date:

24 April 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller | Crime

Tagline:

The most dangerous way to solve a murder... Become the victim.

Plot:

A small southwestern town sheriff finds a body in the desert with a suitcase and $500,000. He impersonates...

Plot Keywords:

FBI | Desert | Sheriff | Stable | Interrogation

Cast

Willem Dafoe	...	Deputy Sheriff Ray Dolezal
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio	...	Lane Bodine
Mickey Rourke	...	Gorman Lennox
Samuel L. Jackson	...	Greg Meeker (as Sam Jackson)
M. Emmet Walsh	...	Bert Gibson
James Rebhorn	...	FBI Agent Flynn
Maura Tierney	...	Noreen
Beth Grant	...	Roz Kincaid
Alexander Nicksay	...	Ben Dolezal
Fredrick Lopez	...	Delmar Blackwater
Miguel Sandoval	...	FBI Agent Ruiz
John Lafayette	...	FBI Agent Demott
Ken Thorley	...	Harold Kleinman
Jack Kehler	...	Casanov
Royce D. Applegate	...	Peterson

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, language, and a scene of sensuality.

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:14 (original rating) | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Netherlands:12 (re-rating) | Netherlands:16 (original rating) | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Germany:16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Estancia, New Mexico, USA

Company:

Morgan Creek Productions

Trivia:

Cameo: [Mimi Rogers]the wife of Ray Dolezal (Willem Dafoe).

Movie Connections:

References "The Andy Griffith Show" (1960)

Complicated but good southwest murder mystery

A New Mexico state sheriff finds a dead man in the desert with a half million dollars in a briefcase and gets in over his head when he tries his hand at solving the murder and tracing the money on his own hook. Willem Dafoe's Sheriff Dolezal, assuming the dead man's identity to get a handle on the case stumbles into a situation involving shady arms dealers, a mystery woman and FBI agents. The film is an interesting thriller that has several twists and turns that are confusing and rather implausible but is decent escapist fare and has a fine cast and the visual splendor of the White Sands area. Dafoe and Mickey Rourke have good scenes together and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio is pleasant to look at and shares a steamy shower scene with Dafoe. Samuel L. Jackson plays his FBI chief like a scorpion, cunning, dangerous and deadly. Ex-senator Fred Dalton Thompson shows up as a cowboy involved in the illegal sale of arms and M. Emmet Walsh has a nice turn as a droll, chatty medical examiner.