Film Review: Vantage Point (2008)

Review:
Vantage Point is a story of one tragic afternoon in Spain as told through the eyes of several people. Although the events may be similar, the perspective is the key element in this action thriller with political overtones. These ulterior motives can easily be plucked from today's headlines which deal with terrorists and their misguided methods. Starring Dennis Quaid, Forest Whitaker, Sigourney Weaver, and William Hurt as the President of the United States, Vantage Point is a fast paced edge-of-your seat puzzle where all the pieces just do not fit.

If you have ever seen Run Lola Run (1998), then you will notice how this story is delivered to the audience. A world summit is gathering to address terrorism when the President of the United States is shot in broad daylight at the podium. Vantage Point takes the minutes leading up to this moment and the subsequent time afterward to unveil each character's personal viewpoint. Things which appear to be innocuous to some may reveal details to someone else. Once one of the points of view has been told, the movie rewinds itself and begins with another character's viewpoint. This happens throughout until the conclusion. I will not say that the President lives or dies, but that the dog doesn't make it.

Vantage Point delivers on several fronts and falls short on others, but I suspect that was the intention of the director to stick with the action and not introduce too much plot. There are several effective scenes which let the audience see how the characters are linked, but it does not provide a whole lot of background information. You just figure they are the bad ones. Their motivation for committing these barbarous acts is not relevant. It would only get in the way of the action; which is ok with me. This film could easily have been released in the summer where films are light on the drama and all about the battle. The car chase leading up the finale is a prime example of this. If you watch closely, you'll see continuity problems with the car William Hurt is driving. One moment it is all banged up and the next there aren't any dents and then it's banged up again.

Vantage Point is a thousand piece puzzle and all the pieces are white. Begin to scratch the surface and you just might begin to see the subtleties. This film brings the seemingly unconnected and slowly puts the parts together revealing a much clearer image. I liked the movie for what it was and nothing more. Of course the DVD will have a ton of deleted scenes fleshing out the backgrounds we were denied in the theatres. But, oh well, que sera sera. I recommend you check out either Vantage Point or, in my opinion the better of the two, Run Lola Run.

Note: Run Lola Run is in German and rated R.

Mike's Rating: 7 out of 10 Perches of Perspective (Early Summer Fare)
MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense violence and action, some disturbing images, and brief strong language
Running Time: 1 hour 30 minutes