Whiteout

by Daniel Baldwin

One fateful day at work in St. Petersburg, Russia, engineer Henry (James McDougall) finds himself in a very bad situation. Armed men enter the office where he works, take Henry and his co-workers hostage, and cart them off to a labor camp. Not exactly the kind of workplace surprise that anyone wants to have to deal with.

The captors say that everyone will be released if their company is willing to pay a ransom for them, but that’s of little concern to Henry. The more pressing concern is whether or not he can survive the camp itself. Between the grueling labor, harsh weather, violent guards, and violent campmates, this is not an environment in which one thrives. Luckily for Henry, the higher-ups need his engineering skills to repair some equipment, which gains him access to an office. What lies within that office? Keys!

After being talked into a desperate escape plan by some fellow prisoners, Henry steals said keys, allowing them to escape their confines, grab some weapons & supplies, and break out of the camp. Of course, as one of his compatriots puts it, they have now traded the prison of the gulag for the prison of the wilderness. In addition to being chased by their captors, this ragtag group must brave the terrain, the weather, and each other if they want to regain their freedom. Making matters worse, Henry isn’t exactly built for this kind of endeavor, be it physically or emotionally.

Director/co-writer Derek Barnes and star/co-writer James McDougall have put together a solid right-down-the middle survival thriller in Whiteout. There aren’t too many surprises to be had, so don’t go into it expecting to have the subgenre’s wheel reinvented. Still, there are enough moments of sharp intensity for it to be of worth to survival thriller fans. If you fall into that category, you may find something to love here. If not, Whiteout won’t move the needle for you much, but it will still entertain.