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White Sands (1992)

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20 comments in total

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21 out of 25 people found the following comment useful :-
The Good And Bad Of White Sands, 7 January 2006

Author: ccthemovieman-1 from Lockport, NY, United States

Here is another modern-day film-noir, featuring interesting characters played by a diverse cast. That cast is led by Willem Dafoe, who reminds me a lot of another noir actor, Dan Duryea.

There is the usual corrupt government/military officials angle but the plot does have a few neat twists and is generally a non-nonsense kind of story. However, I did find the storyline a bit confusing, especially in the last half hour. On a second viewing, five years later, a few things cleared up but not a lot. I guess it will take looks to figure out everything, especially the very end.

I'm not usually a fan of Elizabeth Mastrantonio, but I thought she was exceptional in here: by far, the best and most interesting character. The movie has a nice soundtrack. Overall, the good outweighs the bad and the somewhat confusing story helps draw me back for future viewings.

Aside notes: this must have been one of Samuel L. Jackson's first films because he was listed as "Sam Jackson" in the closing credits. Unbilled were three always-interesting actors: Fred Thompson, Mimi Rogers and Jack P. Ryan.

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10 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :-
Entertaining and suspenseful, 27 August 2002

Author: Peter (fineanimal) from San Diego, California

A wonderfully subdued and suspenseful film about a police deputy who takes on the identity of an apparent suicide victim, ostensibly to locate the victim's "killer." Of course, in the process he gets more than he bargained for--or did he? Perhaps he was seeking an exciting and intriguing diversion from boredom all along.

The story stretches the limits of believability throughout, yet this is easy to forgive and forget in light of magnificent performances by Willem Dafoe, Mickey Rourke and others, which draw you deep enough into the action that you'll soon forget none of this could ever happen. Rourke is the definition of "cool" as Gorman Lennox, a sleazy yet charismatic arms dealer. But it is Dafoe who turns in the best performance as an ordinary man who is compelled to put himself into an extraordinarily dangerous situation for reasons even he probably doesn't quite understand. I was thoroughly entertained just watching Dafoe's reaction every time circumstances threatened to blow his cover. All told, Deputy Ray Dolezal (Dafoe) is one of the most genuinely likeable characters I've seen on film.

With a clever script, plenty of plot twists, outstanding performances and marvelous desert cinematography, White Sands is definitely a film worth watching.

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8 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :-
Overplotted but stylish., 12 May 2001

Author: gridoon

This interesting cop thriller has a convoluted plot that gets a bit out of hand in the second half, with improbable, needless twists added only to provoke a surprised response on the audience's part (consider, for example, Mickey Rourke's true identity), but it has been stylishly directed by Roger Donaldson (who has already shown his competence with the first-rate "No Way Out") and acted with restraint by the three leads; Rourke is particularly magnetic. Samuel Jackson also has an amusing supporting role. (**1/2)

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5 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
Complicated but good southwest murder mystery, 16 August 2005

Author: NewEnglandPat from Virginia

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.

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7 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
Really good New Mexico Suspense!, 9 February 2002

Author: DJAkin (donjakin@yahoo.com) from AZ

I have seen this movie on the racks at video stores for years. I have never been tempted to view it. Since I saw it on Cinemax, I say that I like it. Willem DeFoe plays a cop who becomes wrapped up in this undercover scheme involving half a million dollars. He pretends like he is this man who was found dead in the desert. The great thing about this movie is that it takes turn after turn and twist after twist. All the characters, played by Sam Jackson (a great actor) and Mickey Rork are not who you really think they are. The scenary is great to. The entire film was shot in New Mexico. Scenes of Taos and Santa Fe are plentiful. This is a must see movie for Willem Defoe fans. I rate this movie a hefty 7 out of ten stars.

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4 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
Interesting, but not memorable, 20 May 2002
Author: (dogsfiction) from Bowral, Australia

This movie started out promising. Ray ( William Dafoe ) investigates an apparent suicide in the middle of the desert of a man with a briefcase full of money . After following clues ( including one found out of someone's stomach ) Ray eventually finds himself in trouble with criminals and the F.B.I. But after the first 40-60 minutes, the movie loses interest and becomes dull and boring. Even with the supporting cast of Mickey Rourke and Samual L. Jackson, White Sands trails away from the initial interest of the start and becomes a cliched " everyone chasing after the money " flick. I would only recommend this film for fans of Dafoe or people with nothing to do on a Saturday afternoon. 4.5/10

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3 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Superb suspense film with one of the greatest actors alive, 7 April 1999

Author: MrPink-11 from Erie, Pennsylvania

Mickey Rourke is truly one of America's finest actors. He has been dismissed because of his irrational behavior, however, that takes nothing away from his talent and penetrable screen prescene. White Sands has wonderful atmosphere, capturing the desert with splendid cinematograpy. Willem Dafoe makes for an excellent protagonist to journey with through the maze that is the plot. A bonus in watching White Sands now is the post-Jungle Fever but pre-Pulp Fiction Samuel L. Jackson. He makes for a slimy antagonist. All of this and M. Emmet Walsh, in an autopsy scene to die for, make for an enjoyable movie experience.

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Misunderstood because it makes no sense......, 17 February 2008

Author: merklekranz from United States

Trying to figure out "White Sands" is like trying to put together a jigsaw puzzle with quite a few missing pieces. This overcomplicated movie challenges the viewer's understanding way too much, and eventually you will lose interest. It really is a shame because the cast gives their best effort with what is a severely disjointed script. Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and the blue Corvette are easy on the eyes, but it's not enough to maintain momentum, and the whole thing derails twenty minutes in and never recovers. True there are a few strong scenes, but a plethora of dead material is unfortunately connecting them. Not recommended. - MERK

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3 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
Tries too hard,but still works, 20 April 2006

Author: ssbuk from United Kingdom

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I had no intention of watching this film,I just had nothing better to do.

However,it's worth a watch.

There are faults,as there are with most films,but the film is worthy of praise.

Willem Dafoe as the small time cop caught up in the mess is a great choice for such a versatile actor.

With strong support from the ever-reliable Samuel L.Jackson and the controversial Mickey Rourke.The film works well,it just tries too hard to captivate the audience.

Still,I am only one person,I still say this should be watched

Enjoy The Film

Sean

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3 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
A dead man and a case of money: how could they go wrong?, 24 November 2005

Author: JoeytheBrit from Cambridgeshire, England

White Sands is one of those films that begins brightly but loses both momentum and coherence somewhere around the halfway mark. It's as if the writer began writing before he had figured out an ending, and you can virtually identify the exact moment when he started winging it. There are some decent performances from both those you'd expect to deliver (Dafoe and Jackson) and those who are always something of a wild card (Mickey "before-he-was-a-boxer-and-got-his-face-mashed-in" Rourke). M. Emmet Walsh also makes his mark in a brief role as an ethically dubious coroner, while Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, who appears to have wandered in from a neighbouring set, constantly appears on the verge of bursting into laughter at the sight of what she has stumbled upon.

Willem Dafoe is Ray Dolezal, a small-town sheriff investigating the discovery of the body of a dead man with a suitcase full of cash in the desert. From such beginnings classics are made, and this one begins promisingly as Dolezal decides to assume the dead man's identity to find out who his killer is. Of course this is all as likely as snow in July, but writer Daniel Pyne manages to hold our incredulity at bay for a while with some nice plot twists that see Dolezal becoming involved in a gun smuggling deal with charismatic villain Gorman Lennox (Rourke) and posh totty Lane Bodine (Mastrantonio), the world's only altruistic gun dealer. The waters are muddied, however, when the FBI, in the form of a typically abrasive Samuel L. catch up to Dolezal and everything becomes impossibly complicated.

There's a lot that's wrong with this film, and only a few nuggets to take away – chief of which is a strong performance from Mastrantonio in a patently ridiculous role. She provides a touch of class to a movie that shouldn't really be looking for any, while Willem Dafoe's Dolezal is a character whose stubborn persistence fails to arouse the viewer's admiration and simply leaves you asking 'why?' Why lay his life on the line for a body in the desert? Why abandon his family to pursue this anonymous body's killer? Watching this film, it soon becomes clear that the director and editor were still tinkering long after the cast had all moved on to their next project. Mimi Rogers, as Dolezal's wife, disappears the moment her husband temporarily deserts her and their young son who, judging by the way the camera lingers on his final shot (about ten minutes into the film) was also intended to play a larger role in the proceedings. There's also too much exposition in the final half-hour, which not only slows the pace but further confuses an already convoluted plot and fails to surprise the viewer in the way it obviously intended.

For every good film Willem Dafoe makes he produces half-a-dozen duds. Some of them you've heard of (Speed 2, Boondock Saints, etc) many of them you haven't. This is probably one of those you haven't, and there are very good reasons why…

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