'Vantage Point' Movie Review: Assassination Revisited

"Vantage Point" showcases a major political event seen from various perspectives. Viscerally effective as it is, this film requires its viewers to react more forcefully from the gut than the mind for it to work. This escapist flick derived from multiple points of view allows the real story to unravel bit by bit by focusing on the action and mystery that comes from its relatively short and straightforward story.

As a geopolitical conspiracy thriller, this cinematic piece tells and revisits the same sequence of events about the attempted assassination of the U.S. president during his visit in Salamanca, Spain. The audience is supposed to sit back and ride along with the game plan like watching a short film with eight versions based on the eight different characters' perspectives. Each character holds a piece to the puzzle. The movie stops and rewinds back to around 20 minutes before the event for each version. Every cliffhanger carries the film's tension into the next point of view, while the audience pierces together clues about the assassination plot.

"Vantage Point" starts strong enough as a twist-driven offer. However, it soon becomes too contrived and repetitive that by the time it replicates itself to simply fit the concept's requirements, it merely molds itself into a shallow, gimmicky ride. At some point, some viewers may find themselves growing weary of the rewinds as the story starts lumbering into a ludicrously unsatisfying finale. It becomes too forcefully far-fetched by the time it reaches its outrageous ending.

The alternative narrative style employed by director Pete Travis generally incorporates a quick-cut editing treatment to keep the story's objective reality progressing with tension. Though not really original in terms of using such a cinematic device of telling a story outside the conventions of a movie's three-act structure (which basically follows the beginning-middle-end format), its niche-oriented action and marketable concept could have worked better if the storytelling didn't use melodramatic twists inserted like cheap techniques. Moreover, other than some absurdly prolonged hot pursuits happening here and there, it is also too easy to figure out who would be the next character and in what sequence each one would show up for the rewinds, which tend to easily pull down the movie's suspense appeal.

Spending 90 minutes for "Vantage Point" is considerably alright, as long as the expectations for its preposterous plot is kept to a minimum. With a workable puzzle and brisk suspense, it still finds a place in the mainstream market through its visual caffeine treatment. Considering both its good and bad points, it essentially offers a modicum of entertainment that boasts of glossy tourist vistas of Spanish locales, along with a clock ticking back and forth for version retreads of its structured storytelling.

"Vantage Point" is one of those suspense-filled flicks that relies purely on action and momentum. It's a marginally successful attempt to flare up the senses through a couple of stylized repetitions. Amidst its weaknesses, some of the movie's action-packed moments and non-cheating fast cuts still instinctively work for a willing audience. It also makes good use of its on-screen talents to make the story a little more engaging for its level. Its all-star cast include Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox, Forest Whitaker, Sigourney Weaver, Edgar Ramirez, William Hurt, Eduardo Noriega, Ayelet Zurer, Zoe Saldana, and Bruce McGill.