Despite the incredible hook of the opening credits, White Sands falls apart the longer it goes on, intriguing to a point but quickly plunging into an abundance of clichés and various other unexplained oddities, turning a promising neo-noir thriller into a rather substandard and confusing mess. Nothing is ever really explained here with too many twists and turns that go down far too many dead-end streets, in trying to seem intelligent and complex the film ends up plodding and frustrating. However, it's not all bad, especially from its cast, Willem Dafoe, Samuel L Jackson and Mickey Rourke do an upstanding job in their respective roles even if Dafoe is too often checking his watch alongside the audience. Roger Donaldson's direction is spotless and, when accompanied by the exceptional musical score by Patrick O'Hearn, often elevates White Sands' decidedly flimsier moments. It's a film you want to stick with till the end, hoping it all ends up making sense, a real travesty that this ends up not being the case, it had all the makings of an underrated gem.
Review of White Sands
