U. S. President Ashton (William Hurt) has traveled to Salamanca, Spain to attend an anti-terrorism summit along with many other foreign dignitaries. As he takes the stage in front of a large crowd in the Plaza Mayor, shots ring out and the president slumps to the ground. Moments later, a bomb explodes in the distance. As the plaza is overtaken by chaos, a bomb planted under the stage explodes.
Vantage Point tells the story of the events leading up to and following the assassination attempt from five distinct perspectives — all of which are somehow connected or intertwined. We see the whole thing unfold through the eyes of Rex Brooks (Sigourney Weaver), a news director for GNN, a cable news network covering the summit. Then the timeline rewinds to 23 minutes earlier so we can follow Thomas Barnes (Dennis Quaid), a Secret Service agent, and his preparation for the day that eventually becomes life-changing. And then, at a critical moment, we are again taken back to noon on the same day to see how the day began for Enrique (Eduardo Noriega), a Spanish police officer sent to protect the mayor of Salamanca. And so it goes for two other storylines.
Vantage Point begins with a bang, both literal and figurative, as the story unfolds for the first time. The first ten minutes are undeniably excellent. However, as the events are retold over and over, the “wow” factor wears off and it seems the movie is stalling to pad the running time. As things grind towards the improbable climax, the film continually asks the audience to suspend their disbelief. It’s disheartening for a movie to ask so much when the payoff is so minimal and disappointing.
The movie does have its good points, however. The direction by Pete Travis, who’s previous directing credits are in television, is quite good and the overlapping storylines never get confusing. The always dependable Dennis Quaid turns in a fine performance. As does Forest Whitaker as tourist Howard Lewis.
Had Vantage Point been an hour long episode of 24 — which is what it feels like at times — it would have made for gripping television. As a feature film, it’s just not quite good enough.
2.0 out of 5.0 stars
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