Howaitoauto

This movie sucked. The acting sucked, the script sucked, and the movie overall sucked. There were two threads in the movie that were not developed and the viewer had to do a bit of work to figure out what was happening.

I'm not saying that it needs to be spelled out, but you suddenly find things happening and being said as if you have the slightest clue as to what they are. Examples:

The heroine's negative comments about the hero. The audience is never shown how she even knows anything about the guy and how he is tied into her fiance's death. The viewer has minimal exposure to the guy's death as well.

Also, all of a sudden there is a scene with a bunch of guys loading up and cocking machine guns and that is all you see before cutting back to the other scenes. No explanation what-so-ever about the guns and the folks with them.

We gave it a 3 because we didn't feel like we wanted our time back. It was fun to bad-mouth the movie while watching it, so it at least gave us a bit of entertainment. ;-)

Like everyone here say it's Japan version of DieHard & Cliffhanger (due to scene on snow mountains)

Also the heroine character is unnecessary. Maybe she was added because back then she's the face of Japan actress. Probably the most famous Japan heroine at that time.

Also near the end, the mini avalanche hits helicopter but the the hero is unaffected & unharmed, the final minutes seems like taking forever etc really takes away what the movie could be.

Also the lame ending yeah we get it blabla, totally unnecessary to add beautiful woman in desolated mountain terrorist attack, because. Why not? Shake my head thinking bout that.

This is an astounding action movie. Similar to Die Hard, but in some ways better (if you like Japan films). The lead character is more likable, for one thing. He is just an ordinary guy- not heroic nor an ex-cop. He gets injured and is placed in an extraordinary situation- as a lone fighter against a ruthless gang of terrorists who have seized HIS dam. The only things he has going for him are his intricate knowledge of the dam, plus a deep-seated fear of not being a coward (as he was misunderstood during a past failed rescue where his co-worker froze to death). This combination brings out a desperation that drives him beyond his pain and beyond his normal abilities. The terrorists are lead by a genius who has everything well planned, his gang is loaded with big guns, and the odds are overwhelming against the dam worker turned hero. This is a real classic action movie- one of the best ever made (if you like Japan films).

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.

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.