Directed by Dominic Sena and starring Kate Beckinsale, Gabriel Macht, Columbus Short and Tom Skerritt, the film was distributed by Warner Bros. and released on September 11, 2009.

[6] It was produced under the banner of Dark Castle Entertainment by Joel Silver, Susan Downey and David Gambino.

After finding a dead body, Stetko is attacked by a masked killer who is trying to get ahold of the cargo in an old Soviet plane that crash-landed in the ice during the Cold War.

In the modern era, newcomers arrive at the United States' Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station in Antarctica, while others who are scheduled to leave are preparing to do so early because of a storm.

When Stetko goes to speak to one of the others at Vostok Station, she finds him dying from a neck wound and is herself attacked by a black-clad man with an ax.

The three end up outside the base in a cat-and-mouse chase while the winter storm happens, and just when Haden corners and is about to kill Pryce, Stetko arrives and cuts Haden's safety rope and he is blown away due to the storm, cracking his skull onto one of the base's support pillars, killing him instantly.

She searches their body bags and notices that the stitching on Weiss's old wound matches the distinctive pattern on her amputated fingers.

In November 1999, Columbia Pictures acquired feature film rights to the comic book Whiteout by Greg Rucka and Steve Lieber.

[14] In October 2006, Whiteout entered development at Dark Castle Entertainment, with production slated to begin in the coming winter for a release date in the first quarter of 2008.

[16] In February 2007, with Warner Bros. signed on to distribute Whiteout, Sena was hired to direct the film, based on the adapted screenplay by the Hoebers.

[18] The film was primarily set in a bright world of ice and sunlight, an unconventional approach to the murder mystery genre.

Based on 114 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 'rotten' 7% approval rating from critics, with an average score of 3.5/10, and its consensus reading, "Kate Beckinsale is as lovely as ever, and does her best with the material, but moribund pacing and an uninspired plot leave Whiteout in the cold.".

[22] Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun Times gave the film two stars out of four, calling it a "formulaic thriller that is ultimately no less predictable or interesting simply because it is set in the coldest and most isolated place on Earth.

"[23] Online critics at Zap2it claim, "The film moves like frozen molasses, letting the audience get out ahead of the narrative developments at every turn.