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Originally Posted by Wolf  I watched the original Toolbox Murders.
Some terrible acting and some of the characters just do imensely stupid things, but it's still kind of entertaining. The Nail Gun scene is pretty good. |
The opening acts of that is still one of the most uncompromising, nasty and purest pieces of unapologetic Exploitation film making ever.
Rest is basically ho hum and only really made worthwhile by Cameron's wonderfully mad performance...but that opening is a stunning slice of Grindhouse nastiness.
"Whiteout"
Pretty cliche, nothing groundbreaking or really surprising screenplay/plot wise but the film's snowy wilderness setting and the way it is constantly and cleverly used to define (and re-difine) it's action/chase sequences pushes the film into very interesting territory.
The fact that cop and killer have to go through critical life saving preparations (from what clothes they MUST wear to hooking themselves onto utterly essential guide ropes) before they can flee or give chase is well utilised to crank up the tension and add an extra, unusual, level to the standard cat and mouse set piece.
Kate Beckinsale (looking damn good) pulls off a flawless (at least to these ears) American accent as the snow bound U.S. Marshall and even though they seem to have mellowed (and indeed sexed up) her character in the film compared to her Graphic Novel counterpart she still manages to essay a believably tough character that the film (despite the fact she has to suffer - though we certainly don't suffer - a gratuitous 'bending down in her panties' shot very early on) takes seriously.
And the film is surprisingly tough and unglamorous in how Beckinsale's character is treated and what she goes through.
Nothing new in the plot department most certainly, but the well directed (sometimes grizzly and violent) action and suspense scenes ,as well as the superbly used location, raise it to a higher level than it would otherwise have attained.