The day before she’s supposed to leave the dead-end post at Antarctica, U.S. Marshal Carrie Stetko (Kate Beckinsale, “Underworld” and “Underworld: Evolution”) finds herself facing the icy continents first murder.

Posted in Antarctica after a traumatic experience in Miami, Stetko decides after two years of handling misdemeanors to turn in her badge and head someplace warmer. The day before she’s supposed to leave, a “popsicle” is sighted. She’s paged from her steamy shower scene to go check it out.

The popsicle turns out to be a murdered U.S. geologist, becoming Stetko’s first real case since she arrived. Taking on this case would mean that Stetko would most likely have to spend another winter at the camp. She decides to take the case on and risks the plane ride out.

After some observation and testing, they find out that the victim had died recently (their core wasn’t completely frozen yet). Stetko and a pilot follow a possible lead, just to find their man gurgling in his own blood, soon to be dead. The murderer is still in the room, but is unidentifiable because he is in full body gear – the only person in the entire movie that actually wears the proper gear for Antarctic weather.

The movie keeps going with several supporting mini plots that seem rushed, while the main plot creeps along at a glacial pace. Even the few action scenes they have are slow. They take place outside in whiteout conditions where it’s snowing so hard that you can barely see what’s going on and the characters have a hard time moving around, running as fast as they can very slowly.

There are a few plot twists, but all are predicable. “By eliminating so many suspects before the obligatory drawing-room denouement and final deadly confrontation, it’s given that the audience will feel cheated when the real bad guy turns out to be the only possible contender,” Greg Quill of the Toronto Star said.

Whiteout is rated R for “violence, grisly images, brief strong language and some nudity.” The violence is mostly all in slow motion and not exciting. The grisly images are like what you would get in a typical CSI show plus an amputation scene, but is definitely not recommended for those with very weak stomachs.

The nudity is all in the first scene for absolutely no reason except the selling point of naked people and probably making up for the fact that skimpy clothes really don’t keep the suspension of disbelief at -50 degrees. Most films have a romantic subplot running through it for no reason; this one didn’t, but it might have helped if it did.

Setting the movie in Antarctica was the only redeeming quality, though the plot would have worked just as well, if not better, set anywhere else in the world. The outdoor shots that aren’t of whiteouts are beautiful, with dramatic landscapes and the Aurora Australis. Unfortunately, most of the outdoor scenes are close-ups of snowflakes with some action in the background. “A tolerably entertaining film starring the weather,” Steve Rhodes of Internet Reviews said.

In the end, it was a decent movie that I didn’t mind watching, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to watch it again. Wait for it to come out and rent it if you really want to see it.

Whiteout stars Kate Beckinsale as Carrie Stetko, Gabriel Macht as Robert Pryce, Columbus Short as Delfy, and Tom Skerritt as Dr. John Fury. Directed by Dominic Sena, the film is based on a graphic novel by Greg Rucka and Steve Lieber. Produced by Warner Bros. Pictures.