Movie: Vantage Point (PG-13)
Released: February 22nd, 2008
Runtime: 1 hr. 30 min.
Ticket Price: $7.50 Matinee
Refreshments: None
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox, Forest Whitaker, Sigourney Weaver & William Hurt
Director: Pete Travis
Rating: Worth a Rental
Synopsis: Over the period of 23 minutes a plot is unfolding, a plot to get the President of the United States by a group of terrorists. Pieces of those 23 minutes are shown from six different points of view, the media, the secret service agent, the local cop, the tourist and then the bad guys. Can you figure out what is going on before they show it to you?
Review: Vantage Point is the same story told from six points of view with a large and recognizable cast. When it is finished showing you one vantage point, it rewinds and shows you the next one. This storytelling device is used well for the most part.
But, it has three major problems, one because you know too much going in, if you have seen the trailer, two because something is too obvious too soon and lastly, the way things come together at the end. If you haven’t seen the trailer, or the movie, you may not want to continue reading, as a clean viewing would’ve made this movie better.
The first problem is that you know there is a presidential double going in, as it is given away in the trailer. That could’ve been a great reveal, but it doesn’t do much when you already know. The presidential segment is very anti-climatic, for the most part.
Two, one of the good guys is obviously in on the plot and you know who it is long before you should. While the reasoning behind the involvement is left until later, you still already know. When it is revealed during the final point of view, it falls a bit flat.
Lastly, when they rewind for the last time and show the sixth point of view, it departs from the formula used up until that point. You get a multi-person perspective all at once, where you see it from the ringleader and the rest of the people in on the plot and a few others. But, once you get used to that and things start to converge to the ultimate conclusion, it ends on a sort of bizarre happenstance. You would’ve liked it to be more solid, where one of the good guys actually did something to end the threat.
Even with those problems though, it’s still a good time and worth a rental down the road.
Well, that’s the view from my vantage point, what did you think?
