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This movie is a very entertaining mixture of "Die Hard", "Cliffhanger", "The Fugitive" and "The great silence" with a little touch of Asian culture, a very emotional background and a couple of smart little twists in the ending.

Even though this movie copies from some of the mentioned originals and hasn't the usual uniqueness and creativity of the Asian cinema, this flick is high paced and entertaining as well as addicting from the beginning to the end so that it should please to any fan of action thrillers. I must admit that I prefer this professional and energetic Japanese movie to the endless follow ups of many of the more and more repetitive and faceless originals or trendy remakes. Even more conservative fans of solid suspense movies should adore this movie that takes some bits and pieces from the best examples to fusion it to an own explosive movie.

The three best elements of the movie are first of all the stunning Japanese winter landscapes, the great development of the credible main characters from a mourning coward to a responsible saviour and the high paced, surprising and in the end very emotional closing scenes.

If you happen to like the mentioned movies, make sure to check this one out as it is one of the best of its kind from the last decade and worth to be purchased.

Togashi and his friend leave their post at the Okutowa Dam to go rescue two lost climbers in a blizzard. The situation turns worse and Togashi heads back to get help. In the storm his friend dies saving one of the climbers and Togahi is left with guilt. Not long afterward, during another storm, a group of terrorists take over the damn threatening to blow it up. Togashi is outside the Dam when the attack comes so he's the only one who has a chance to save the hostages including the fiancée of his deceased friend.

This is one of those movies that you want to be better than it is. Its not bad but its not quite a slam bang action film like the Die Hard movies, which, unfortunately, is what it closely resembles. The problem with this film is that its very talky. This is, I suppose, in keeping closer to the way a situation like this would go, but at the same time they put it together to seem to be a Die Hard like film so I expected a bit more. If you run across it and want to see a different sort of action film I'd give it a try.

Though this was very obviously influenced by those two above movies, I didn't mind that fact - after all, it's a very entertaining formula. To it's credit, it does bring some originality to the formula - the hero is more an ordinary joe instead of some pseudo-commando, and the reason for his fighting is actually so he can redeem himself, instead of just being the standard "it's the right thing to do." As well, the movie is shot on location in some very eye-catching locations.

Unfortunately, that's about all that's positive that I can say about this movie. Though this was big-budget for a Japanese movie, the polish of the movie is very inconsistant - it often looks cheaper and cheesier than many direct-to-video actioners. The action sequences aren't that plentiful and elaborate for the most part, and they are often directed in the most boring way possible - a lot of simply pointing and shooting the camera. There's no feeling of tension or excitement in or around those action sequences. And you can't help but feel the frustration of the hero slogging through the snow, since the dull tone (even the characters act bored) and the running time going on MUCH past its point of welcome. And despite the overlength, there are some awkward jumps in the narrative that make it appear that some scenes are missing, or were never filmed in the first place.

The majority of the work that Oda Yuji has been a part of in the last decade continue to capture my attention. Kitano Takeshi will always be known for his movies around the world but thanks to DVD's, many people are starting to catch a glimpse of the Oda Yuji.

Around the world, Oda Yuji has caught the attention of many fans through his Japanese doramas and the movie "Odoru Daisousasen" (aka Bayside Shakedown). The other actress that I'm sure brought in the audience to watch this movie is Matsushima Nanako who is regarded as the top actress in Japanese entertainment today.

In the many years of watching Japanese movies, I don't think I have ever watched a Japanese big-budget movie in the scale of "WHITEOUT". Fuji and TOHO went all out in making this movie that you literally don't want to leave your seat for a minute.

According to the production notes, fans camped out to watch this movie. You take Japan's two big name actors, put them in a movie with a very large budget. The studios took a risk and won as evident with the box office returns.

Fans will definitely enjoy his latest blockbuster "WHITEOUT". A movie that can be compared to "Die Hard" meets "Cliffhanger". Oda's character as Togashi Teruo is unlike the hero's in both of those movies. From beginning to end, he doesn't have a Gung Ho attitude nor the "yippy kai yay - I'm going to kick some ass" look. The man is driven to make things right after the death of his colleague. Matsushima's Hirakawa Chiaki is a character that has nothing but anger for Togashi. As a man that escaped and let her fiance die. To watch Togashi's motivation into the end will make you appreciate this movie.

From beginning to end you will be captivated by "WHITEOUT". One can only hope that we see more big budgeted action movies come from Japan.

I enjoyed "WHITEOUT" a lot. Maybe not as much as I enjoyed Oda's "Odoru Daisousasen: The Movie" but it's still a movie worth checking out.

Rumor has it that if they ever got around to making a Cliffhanger 2 it was going to take place at a dam. Suffice it to say, the idea obviously had some merit and the Japanese film industry has turned out a fine effort. When terrorists seize control of the largest dam in all of Japan, a controller at the dam is forced to become an unwillingly hero. It is not for the sake of his fellow workers held hostage or his dead friend's fiancee who happens to be visiting that he does this, but rather for the dam itself. The action is so-so, but this guy is also an expert mountain climber so it allows the action to move outdoors and create some interesting situations. Overall, the film was something different and I would recommend it if you like action cinema from another source.