Movies on DVD Review: Vantage Point

Stars Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox, Forest Whitaker, Sigourney Weaver, William Hurt, Bruce McGill, and Eduardo Noriega. Directed by Pete Travis

It's what I call a plug-and-play movie. You know the kind where you pop it into the DVD player, press 'Play,' and leave your brain at the door? Yeah.

The story (all 23 minutes of it) goes like this: the President of the United States (Hurt) arrives for a Summit talk in Spain and is scheduled to address a crowd inside a coliseum in Salamanca. As he approaches the stage he's shot in the chest. Mass chaos and confusion occurs until abruptly halted by a bomb explosion.

And then it all repeats, albeit centered around a different character.

The characters are: President Ashton of the United States (Hurt). He's there for the summit but instead sends a double (that gets shot). Thomas Barnes (Quaid) is a Secret Service agent who six months earlier took a bullet for the Prez and was able to get back on assignment through fellow agent Kent Taylor (Fox), who has plans of his own. Howard Lewis (Whitaker) is an American on vacation in Spain, recording the event on his hand-held camcorder. Rex Brooks (Weaver) is a TV producer operating from a trailer outside the coliseum. Enrique (Noriega) is a Spanish police officer caught up in events due to his girlfriend.

On the plus side of things, watching the mystery unravel was entertaining. And, there was a cool car chase with Matthew Fox and Dennis Quaid.

On the negative side of things, this movie abandons logic faster than a fight-scene edit. A PDA has the ability to control a $10 fan as well as a high-powered assault rifle. Also, firing a weapon at close range inside a conversion van does not leave holes (in the body or the van) nor does it make a deafening noise.

Yeah. Anyway, it's a decent 82-minute escape.

My grade: B-