The Big White is a cold thriller

The Big White

Director: Mark Lylod

Cast: Robin Williams, Holly Hunter, Woody Harrelson, Giovanni Ribisi

Cert: 15

A thriller which doesn’t quite manage to turn out as well as its opening promises. It’s clever enough, but so much more might have been made of it.

Williams, slightly down-and-out, finds a body in his small Alaskan town and hatches an elaborate plot to pass it off as his long-lost brother in order to get hold of the life assurance.

He dumps the body in the hope that passing wolves will snake it into oblivion, but a series of unfortunate circumstances contrive against the scam: the killers turn up, the real brother turns up, there’s a suspicious insurance man.

At which point a promising thriller slips into confusion – is it a screwball comedy or what? – And no amount of funny one-liners can grab back our wandering attention.

Good cast – particularly Williams and Ribisi – but a film ultimately firing blanks.

Star Rating: 3/5