White Sands

R

1992

1 hr. 41 min.

Crime

Drama

List

44%

16 Reviews

Tomatometer

41%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Small-town New Mexico sheriff Ray Dolezal (Willem Dafoe) stumbles upon a corpse clutching a suitcase containing half a million dollars. Assuming the dead man's identity in an effort to track down his killers, the sheriff gets drawn into a complex FBI sting operation masterminded by hot-headed agent Greg Meeker (Samuel L. Jackson), who is attempting to take down international gun runners Gorman Lennox (Mickey Rourke) and Lane Bodine (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio).

Read More

Read Less

Watch on Fandango at Home

Premiered Sep 05

Buy Now

Fandango at Home

Prime Video

Apple TV

Watch White Sands with a subscription on Prime Video, rent on Fandango at Home, Apple TV, or buy on Fandango at Home, Apple TV.

Brian O

The narrative is solid - it's just rough in it's telling. There isn't enough serendipity or cunning to provide that "aha" moment the viewer wants. Too many plot twists are laid out for Sheriff Dolezal (Willem Dafoe) in words by this or that character, making the overall experience rather dull. The film is still worth seeing for the latent ambition in its story and the top-notch cast.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/01/24

Full Review

Steve D

Not a whole lot here.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The premise that kicks off this narrative, with a local cop taking on a murder victims identity in order to discover it, was fairly intriguing but the story asks you to suspend more of reality as it progresses into a mess of multiple identities and unexplained motivations. The cast was decent, starring Willem Defoe with a bunch of recognizable faces from the 90s, and Mickey Rourke. I definitely appreciate the way films from this era look, along with the charmingly nostalgic feeling I get while watching them, even when the plots are messy and the conclusions overly predictable. Samuel L. Jackson Binge: Jackson's performance started out straight forward and dull so I assumed this would be another early role where he was not given a chance to show off his capabilities. Thankfully though his character became more developed and involved which allowed him to display more of his talents as the movie progressed. SLJ January #40

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/20/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Quality cast, adequate dialogue and interesting but not intriguing plot. There is a lot of anti-federal government sentiments regarding corruption that drives the story through its twist and turns. There are some significant pacing problems, especially surrounding the inevitable insertion of the ridiculous and irrelevant Hollywood love interest. Despite the quality cast, there are no standout performances, mostly due to a rather bland screenplay.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/24/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A small town deputy starts trying to solve a murder and falls into a criminal conspiracy. This is the kind of movie where the hero has no real motivations to undertake the enormous risks and violations of procedure he does. A more charismatic actor may been able to pull it off but Wiilian Dafoe just can’t. See 1984’s Flashpoint to see how this should be done.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

04/03/21

Full Review

brendan n

This was an interesting take on the mid budgeted thriller story, and it does work at times. Rourke is essentially a name here and only shows up at varying moments to service the storyline. Dafoe is excellent as normal, but he can only service a story so far and his overall arc isn't earth shattering. High concept 90s films were a dime a dozen and this had a lot of talent behind it. It isn't the worst, but the absurdity of the storyline grows too much by the end. 04/09/2019

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Roger Donaldson

Director

Willem Dafoe

Deputy Sheriff Ray Dolezal

Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio

Lane Bodine

Mickey Rourke

Gorman Lennox

Samuel L. Jackson

Greg Meeker

M. Emmet Walsh

Bert Gibson

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

8%

23%

Body of Evidence

63%

78%

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me

27%

61%

Romeo Is Bleeding

84%

91%

Carlito's Way

TRAILER

for Carlito's Way

98%

75%

Red Rock West

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: C-

Sep 7, 2011

Full Review

Steve Davis

Austin Chronicle

Rated: 3/5

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: C-

Apr 24, 1992

Full Review

Brian D. Johnson

Maclean's Magazine

The greatest mystery in White Sands is the casting. Mimi Rogers has an embarrassingly marginal role as Ray's wife.

Oct 11, 2019

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

A baffling thriller, filled with double-crosses, but is absorbing and mostly a fun watch.

Rated: B

Apr 22, 2016

Full Review

Rob Thomas

Capital Times (Madison, WI)

Not a bad little noir, but not exactly memorable, either.

Rated: 3/5

Jul 6, 2006

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

Small-town New Mexico sheriff Ray Dolezal (Willem Dafoe) stumbles upon a corpse clutching a suitcase containing half a million dollars. Assuming the dead man's identity in an effort to track down his killers, the sheriff gets drawn into a complex FBI sting operation masterminded by hot-headed agent Greg Meeker (Samuel L. Jackson), who is attempting to take down international gun runners Gorman Lennox (Mickey Rourke) and Lane Bodine (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio).

Director: Roger Donaldson
Executive Producer: Gary Barber, David Nicksay, James G. Robinson
Screenwriter: Daniel Pyne
Production Co: Morgan Creek Entertainment
Rating: R
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 15, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA): $8.2M
Sound Mix: Stereo, Surround

Most Popular at Home Now