White Sands

Rating:
Summary: Nifty surprise
Review: A dead body in the desert with a suitcase full of cash leads a cop to pick up where the dead man left off. Great opening leads into somewhat more pedestrian territory, but the acting and direction are uniformly solid throughout. Only other complaint is an additional gratuitous twist at the end that does fit with the overall logic of the story but still feels like one thing too many. Willem Dafoe, one of my favorite actors, does great by this one.

Rating:
Summary: Highly underrated classic whodunit
Review: A dead body, a rodeo, a schmoozy exclusive fundraiser and a nosy cop who gets into the middle of it all make for a nailbiting rollercoaster ride of a movie. Willem Dafoe, Samuel L. Jackson, & Mickey Rourke are at their best in this great story. A fantastic supporting cast is also featured. The eerie, haunting music of Patrick O'Hearn (from his "Indigo" album) provide the perfect soundtrack for this humdinger of a mystery. You never know who will do what, so hang on and enjoy the ride.

Rating:
Summary: Highly underrated classic whodunit
Review: A dead body, a rodeo, a schmoozy exclusive fundraiser and a nosy cop who gets into the middle of it all make for a nailbiting rollercoaster ride of a movie. Willem Dafoe, Samuel L. Jackson, & Mickey Rourke are at their best in this great story. A fantastic supporting cast is also featured. The eerie, haunting music of Patrick O'Hearn (from his "Indigo" album) provide the perfect soundtrack for this humdinger of a mystery. You never know who will do what, so hang on and enjoy the ride.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant acting from a great cast, with a great story line
Review: From start to finish a gripping film, which could possibly be the way the CIA work. Rourke is as always a cool man and Samuel L Jackson the interesting actor he always is. Very well worth watching and once purchased you wont want to get rid of it

Rating:
Summary: A forgotten film with a great cast
Review: I bought White Sands in the cheapy bin at my local DVD retailer. I never heard of the film but I decided to buy it because I like both Willem Dafoe and Mickey Rourke. Upon viewing the film, I was only glad I payed $5.50 for it. Though it is far from bad, it's not all that great either. William Dafoe is a small Texas town sherriff that goes undercover when he finds a man dead with a half a million dollars in a briefcase. Not a bad story but all I could think is "what is this guy doing!" throughout this film as he goes deep undercover. He must have been bored with his small town life. There's plenty of twists and turns in the plot throughout the film but after awile one won't care. The film itself is also far from exciting. Mickey Rourke gives a fine performance but Willem Dafoe is a little below par. I'm sorry but he failed to convince me of his role in this film. After viewing theis film, I could see why it has been forgotten over the years because it is just not that memorable. White Sands ends up being a good way to waste an afternoon and is worth a buy if you can find it cheap. You also get to see Samuel L. Jackon early in his carrier as he is credited as Sam Jackson.

Rating:
Summary: Like helicoptors, Bobby? (film quote)
Review: I saw it in the theater and really loved it. What's more, it has several of my favorite actors. The plot was quite spooky and the film was kind of fun to watch.

Rating:
Summary: A diamond in the rough
Review: Okay, the movie has Mickey Rourke in it, that doesn't automatically make it a bad film (though yes that usually isn't a good sign). Most of you may never have heard of this film before and that is a shame. Its unfortunate that the studio that released this film never took the time to watch it. It was released in the middle of the summer, most definitely wrong time of the year for such a film. The summer is for mindless action and laughs and unfortunately this flick just got lost in the mix.(I have nothing against mindless action and laughs.) This is a smart film with a very engaging plot, but you are required to actually pay attention. Not to give too much away but Defoe plays a small town cop who gets caught up rather large mess after the discovery of "suicide" victim out in the middle of nowhere. The acting is very well done in this film (even Rouke's). This is definitely one of the films that helped make Sam Jackson one of my favorites. If you like well done mystery/suspense flicks then this one is well worth your time.

Rating:
Summary: THIS IS THE REASON I LOVE MOVIES!
Review: PURE ENTERTAINMENT. A CLASSIC FOR WIERD MYSTERY MOVIES! DON'T MISS IT

Rating:
Summary: CONFUSING AND OVERACTED
Review: So-so fare of a lawman finding a corpse and gathering evidence of it being connected to the FBI and a narcotics case; elements don't always click in this one.

Rating:
Summary: Great cast, plot twists, amazing landscapes
Review: This film was generally overlooked upon release. Predating Lone Star and Thunderheart, this film has three amazing things going for it: (1) the cast is stellar. You get Dafoe, in a good guy role, M Emmett Walsh as a lazy coroner, Mary Elizabeth Mastronantino in an amazing lead role, Sam Jackson (how he's listed on the end credits) tearing up the scenery, Mickey Roarke in a GOOD performance, and even an uncredited thankless role. (2) the plot is much better than No Way Out. With Donaldson directing, you might think that it would just be a remake/remuddle, but the plot does keep twisting, and once you think you have it even remotely figured out, BANG something else happens. (3) the scenery is amazing. The only film that comes closer to capturing the feel of the New Mexican landscape is Backtrack, which is also very good. The widescreen adds (although it is fair to ask when it DOESN'T), so, if you were like me and didn't see this until it came out on VHS, you're in for a treat. Not all of it does work--you do keep waiting for Dafoe to become the creep he is in most of his films since Wild at Heart, or Roarke to make little sense, but like Angelheart, he is focused and amazing here, but it doesn't happen. Not a whole lot of extras here, unfortunately (maybe there's a director's edition somewhere with more of Mimi Rogers in it, but as it stands, this is a terrific movie. Four stars out of five.