White Sands | | Cast : | Willem Dafoe, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio | | Director : | Roger Donaldson | | Studio : | Warner Studios | | Format : | Color, Widescreen, Dolby | | Released Date : | April 24, 1992 | | DVD Released Date : | June 01, 2004 | | Language : | Unknown (Dubbed), English (Dubbed), French (Dubbed), French (Subtitled), English (Subtitled), English (Original Language), French (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | R (Restricted) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | February 14, 2004 | | Summary | A forgotten film with a great cast | Content
 | 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 | | | Date | October 11, 2002 | | Summary | Actually, a 4 1/2. | Content
| You're a cop, you live in New Mexico. You get a call that there's been a dead body found in the desert near you, near some old Indian ruins. Next to his body is a briefcase, with half a million dollars inside. If your Defoe, (in this show) a cop, you want to find out where it came from. How can it be a suicide? Who would want to kill themselves while possessing a half million dollars? The more he investigates and finds out gets him in over his head. He takes on the identity of the deceased, this sheriff from New Mexico is smarter than he acts but much less experienced than he tries to appear. Mickey Rourke gets to be the bad guy in this one. Guess what? He's a CIA agent. He's on whoever's side they pay him to be on. This is enough. The rest I'll leave to your imagination. I should mention that Samuel Jackson is also in this show. He's an FBI agent. It's not really sand, it's gypsum. |
| Rating | | | Date | August 16, 2002 | | Summary | Excellent thriller with superb cast | Content
| This smart thriller makes you both wonder what gonna happend next and be suprised that Mickey Rourke is good. Samuel Jackson, Willem Dafoe and M Emmet Walsh is all good. But it is Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio who steals the show. Her best since "The Abyss". If you like this movie, check out "Thunderheart", "Consenting Adults" and "Unlawful Entry". |
| Rating | | | Date | July 21, 2002 | | Summary | Great cast, plot twists, amazing landscapes | Content
| 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. |
| Rating | | | Date | August 18, 2001 | | Summary | Good cast/Great film. | Content
| This is one of the better films of this genre. Picture quality and sound are excellent. |
|
