Vantage Point (DVD, 2008)

This is a decent movie. But with all the suspense, twists & turns, and action, I was totally left with that, "So what?" feeling at the end. The anchor story is of an attempted presidential assassination during a world peace conference. The initial story, seen through the eyes of a CNN-type executive producer (Sigourney Weaver) covering the event, is re-told several times including through the eyes of a local police officer, a secret service agent (Dennis Quaid), a video camera-happy tourist (Forrest Whitaker), the President (William Hurt) and even one of the terrorists. Each rewind segment (or vantage point) adds pieces of the puzzle until we understand the whole plot. There are some neat plot twists and a heart-racing car chase, but this is not even an above average action movie. Despite appearing new to many, the technique of telling a story from several vantage points is as old as Rashomon and Citizen Kane. The movie also fails to tie up so many loose ends (what does happen to Matthew Fox?) or to allow any real closure when it comes to the hundreds of people who die in this movie. In the end, So What?

Vantage Point is a thriller with a twist. Well, aren't they all? But in this case, it was a clever conceit. We see an event through multiple vantage points - the Secret Service Agent, the News Director, The Tourist, The Terrorist, etc. Sounds cool, right? It should have been. But I found myself groaning with increasing frustration with each "rewind".

Each "vantage point" did provide new information and clue us in on that character's role in the grand scheme of things, but the problem was I just didn't care enough and there was too much repeated information. I got bored and frustated by about midway, and knowing that I still had several vantage point rewinds to endure, I grew very ansty.

The cast is a more than capable of handling anything put before them - Dennis Quaid, Sigourney Weaver, William Hurt, Forest Whitaker. Sadly, they just don't have that much to work with, except Whitaker who was the sole bright spot for me.

Now, don't get me wrong. It's not a bad movie, it's just not a good movie and worse yet, for a thriller it wasn't that engaging a film.

Great action packed, edge of your seat entertainment! Lots of twists to keep your attention. Star packed cast, Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox, Forest Whitaker, Sigourney Weaver and William Hurt. Good addition to your home movie selections.

I must admit I went into the theater interested, but skeptical. Slowly, I got drawn into things, and by the time the we were at the fourth vantage point, I was fascinated by how all the stories interrelated with each other, and wondering the story would end up.

The acting is uniformly excellent, especially that of Dennis Quaid, who I had previously considered a mostly comic actor, but is very convincing here as a Secret Service agent.

The direction and script are also excellent, especially when you consider both are first-timers in the world of feature films. The script was not without its clichés, but I didn't see most of the plot twists coming, which I can usually spot coming a mile away in a film like this. There was one real groaner of a plot twist that you'd have to be an idiot not to see, but it goes by so fast that it doesn't really matter.

A lot of the audience in the screening I was at got frustrated by the repeated sections, obviously having no attention span. But once the third act of the film kicks into gear, everybody stopped complaining.

Speaking of which, the third act is the payoff which we've all been waiting for. Seeing all the plot threads converge in such a convincing matter was nice, as was the final action scene, which seems like it was plucked right out of one of the Bourne films. This comes as little surprise, since director Pete Travis and Bourne series director Paul Greengrass have worked together in the past.

As skeptical as I had gone in, I came out impressed. Not since The Bourne Ultimatum have I seen such a convincing, engrossing action thriller.

I went into this movie with high expectations and was not disappointed.

From the beginning the movie grabs your interest and holds it throughout the movie. At first I thought the "rewinds" were a bit annoying, but after a while they made a lot of sense and I began to understand the message they were conveying.

The Director did a great job of keeping my interest while telling an exciting story that leads up to the final scene.

Dennis Quaid gives another powerful performance, along with all the other actors.

I highly recommend that you buy this DVD and add it to your collection.

I rate this movie a 5 of 5 for it's gripping action and for a strong performance by all involved.