Bullet Points: White Sands (1992)
There weren’t too many movies that got past me in the early 90’s. I was a frequenter of the local VHS shops and later would “kill time” at the local rental store just to read the backs of tapes. I could pretty much tell you the title of any movie based on just a two or three word clue. Somehow, even with all of those aforementioned skills of mine, I managed to miss seeing Willem Dafoe’s starring role in White Sands. Just looking at the cast makes me think I really dropped the ball and brings back a little of that excitement I used to feel when I’d find something for the first time.
Synopsis: A small southwestern town Sheriff finds a body in the desert with a suitcase and five hundred thousand dollars. He impersonates the man and stumbles into an F.B.I. investigation.
- Finders, not keepers: The film opens with a dead body being found way up in the desert. Soon, Sheriff Ray Dolezal (Dafoe) is on scene and learning that everything points to a suicide but that there’s also a shit-load of money next to the body. Seems a wee bit fishy to me….
- Putting the pieces together: Ray and coroner Bert Gibson (M. Emmet Walsh) start going over the body and discover there are some pieces to the puzzle left unexplained. While Bert was simply trying to get Ray to “make the money disappear”, Ray has some wild plans to impersonate the dead man and see where the trail leads. Obviously, it leads to all sorts of shit cause they made it into this movie!
- Not many answers: The further Ray digs into this world, the fewer answers it seems like he finds. He meets a charismatic and charming arms dealer of sorts played by Mickey Rourke. Alongside his benefactor Lane (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), Mickey’s Lennox is planning on buying a massive surplus of weapons from some shady dudes in the government and selling them to some random cause or another. While Lane might see some moral victory in arming rebels against some tyrannical gov’t, Lennox only sees dollar signs.
- The Feds: Along with all of these criminals running around, Ray also finds that there are different factions within the F.B.I. looking to get into this deal. The question is whether they’re already in on the deal and running the show, or they’re actually trying to bust the men responsible. Again, it’s a good thing Ray had some vacation time at work because this one seems like it could take a while to solve.
- Familiar Faces: We, of course, have Dafoe, Rourke, and Mary Elizabeth as our main characters but we also get a younger Sam Jackson as F.B.I. Agent Meeker. He plays the character with his usual gusto and it’s easy to see why he would be reaching superstardom in the next couple of years with Pulp Fiction. Also, some special shout-outs to veteran actor John P. Ryan and James Rebhorn for their minimal but important roles. Always great to see so many familiar faces and one of the reasons I love re-visiting these movies from my childhood.
- Stop double-crossing me, bro: While Ray gets to do cool shit like go to a rodeo, drive really fast, and make out with Mastrantonio in the shower, he also has to figure out what the hell is going on in this film. There are a few moments where I had to stop myself from overthinking things and just go along for the ride. It certainly has a scene or two that needed a replay for me as I’m usually in my cups at this time of night and tend to miss some important shit.
- What I learned: Willem Dafoe essentially looked the same for damn near 20 years and never trust anything Mickey Rourke says or does. Finding a good ‘whodunit’ movie isn’t easy and finding one that is 30 years old is even more difficult. You would have thought I had seen this one many moons ago but I’m thrilled I gave it the chance now. Dafoe rocks as a leading man and I enjoy any movie that paints the Feds as a bunch of assholes just trying to scheme and scam someone to get rich and powerful. I also learned something about the white sand in the Southwestern United States…
The Verdict: White Sands feels like the perfect little movie to find a free streaming platform. It is chock-full of recognizable stars and features a noir story that is so full of double crosses you’ll need to pause it for a bathroom break. Willem Dafoe is one of those super underrated guys in my mind and this feels like it could’ve been the start of something bigger for him as a leading man. Mickey Rourke always felt like a star even when he was in a smaller role and he plays the slimeyness of the character to perfection. The movie obviously didn’t blow up at the box office but it’s a fantastic film to find 30 years later and just skimming through the streamers. Check it out if you haven’t already.
