Vantage Point (2008)
I seemed to have been watching mostly children’s films lately, so it made a nice change to settle down and watch something grown up for a change. Being short of time, I decided to watch it over two nights, but in the end I really got into it and stayed up into the early ... Read review
During an historic counter-terrorism summit in Spain, the President of the United States ... more
is struck down by an assassin's bullet. Eight strangers have a perfect view of the kill, but what did they really see? As the minutes leading up to the fatal shot are replayed through the eyes of each eyewitness, the reality of the assassination takes shape. But just when you think you know the answer, the shattering final truth is revealed. VANTAGE POINT is a mindbending political action-thriller starring Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox, Academy Award Winner Forest Whitaker (Best Actor 2006, The Last King of Scotland), with Sigourney Weaver and Academy Award winner William Hurt (Best Actor 1985, Kiss of the Spider Woman).
During an historic counter-terrorism summit in Spain, the President of the United States ... more
is struck down by an assassin's bullet. Eight strangers have a perfect view of the kill, but what did they really see? As the minutes leading up to the fatal shot are replayed through the eyes of each eyewitness, the reality of the assassination takes shape. But just when you think you know the answer, the shattering final truth is revealed. VANTAGE POINT is a mindbending political action-thriller starring Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox, Academy Award Winner Forest Whitaker (Best Actor 2006, The Last King of Scotland), with Sigourney Weaver and Academy Award winner William Hurt (Best Actor 1985, Kiss of the Spider Woman).
During an historic counter-terrorism summit in Spain, the President of the United States ... more
is struck down by an assassin's bullet. Eight strangers have a perfect view of the kill, but what did they really see? As the minutes leading up to the fatal shot are replayed through the eyes of each eyewitness, the reality of the assassination takes shape. But just when you think you know the answer, the shattering final truth is revealed.
Thriller - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Timothy West, Neil Morrissey, Tara Fitzgerald, Annette Crosbie, Pauline Quirke, Rob Brydon, Denise Van Outen, John Thomson, Kevin Whately, David Suchet
Production Year: 2002 - Thriller - Director: K.C. Bascombe - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Jesse James, Rachel Skarsten, Charles Powell, Linda Purl, Kevin Zegars
Production Year: 2002 - Thriller - Director: Bharat Nalluri, Rob Bailey, Andy Wilson - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Matthew MacFadyen, Keeley Hawes, David Oyelowo, Peter Firth, Jenny Agutter, Lisa Faulkner
Advantages: Fast paced film with the quirky idea to retell the same segment from different perspectives . Disadvantages: Too short - would have like a bit more background on the characters .
==Vantage Point (2008)==
I seemed to have been watching mostly children’s films lately, so it made a nice change to settle down and watch something grown up for a change. Being short of time, I decided to watch it over two nights, but in the end I really got into it and stayed up into the early hours to finish it.
The film is quite short and only lasts for 90 minutes.
===Plot===
The plot ... ...American President, when he is in Spain attending a summit on terrorism. Of course this type of thing has been done many times before, but his film is different in that it keeps showing the events leading up to the assassination and just after from the viewpoint of key individuals. Each time some other viewpoint is added and the story moves forward a little more, with the audience learning more about just who is involved.
===Actors=== more
Vantage Point (2008)
I seemed to have been watching mostly children’s films lately, so it made a nice change to settle down and watch something grown up for a change. Being short of time, I decided to watch it over two nights, but in the end I really got into it and stayed up into the early hours to finish it.
The film is quite short and only lasts for 90 minutes.
Plot
The plot is quite simple; it centres on the shooting of the American President, when he is in Spain attending a summit on terrorism. Of course this type of thing has been done many times before, but his film is different in that it keeps showing the events leading up to the assassination and just after from the viewpoint of key individuals. Each time some other viewpoint is added and the story moves forward a little more, with the audience learning more about just who is involved.
Actors
This film has quite a star studded cast, as well as a few unknowns:
Dennis Quaid – Thomas Barnes Matthew Fox – Kent Taylor Bruce McGill - Phil McCullough Said Taghmaoui -Suarez Forrest Whitaker – Howard Lewis Signourny Weaver – Rex Brooks William Hurt – President Ashton
Performances
Many of the actors gave a good performance in particular; I liked Dennis Quaid, who played the bodyguard to the president. He had taken a bullet the year before and I think that he played his nervous, jumpy character well. I also enjoyed seeing Matthew Fox playing a different role to what I have seen before. Obviously with only 90 minutes and seeing so many viewpoints, each actor’s role is quite limited.
Forrest Whitaker as a tourist also stood out, he plays every part well and even though it was not very demanding, his part was played with the usual understated finesse that he applies to all his roles.
William Hurt played his role like a professional, but it was a bit too slick and for me typecast as well. He is in Damages at the moment and recently his roles seem to be all portrayed in the same way, with demanding little effort and are a bit boring to be honest.
Sigourney Weaver’s part was quite small, but again was played well.
Soundtrack
I thought that overall, the soundtrack added to the suspense of the movie and it was a bit reminiscent of The Bourne Identity, as were the car chases down crowded streets and steps. At times, if you blinked you could miss important pieces of action, as it was all quite fast moving, but the music did add to the tempo.
Opinion
Overall I did enjoy the film, it kept me engrossed, although I did manage to figure out the one or two twists. If you pay attention and have seen lots of films, then I didn’t think that this was hard to do. It was a film that got off to a quick start, which I liked. You don’t have to be in the mood to concentrate greatly, it is very easy to follow. I thought that it would be boring, seeing the same segment over and over again, but it wasn’t. Each time, the plot thickened and you kept developing your own theories. It is the type of film, that if you watch it again you see things that you missed the first time around. Having said this, I would still only recommend it as a rental, because it is one of those were once you know the ending, you won’t get much enjoyment from watching it repeatedly.
The film I felt came to an abrupt end. After all the action, it seemed to fizzle out in quite a clichéd way. I would have liked a bit more back story and information about the attackers’ motives, in this way there was something missing. There were twist and turns and one of the biggest ones, was just so far fetched it was untrue and this spoiled the credibility of the story for me.
Although it was a grown up theme, I liked the addition of the little girl to the story, but again her actions were again a tad far fetched for a girl of that age. Still, even with a film like this, it seems you have to have the cute factor!
I enjoyed seeing so many big name actors in one place, but make no mistake this isn’t the thinker’s film in the realms of JFK etc, it is more fast paced fun. You won’t come away from this film pondering its deeper meaning – because there isn’t one.
I think more could have been made from the story, although I enjoyed its flashback approach which I did think was well done. This is definitely a film of goodies and baddies, if you like that kind of thing.
Availability
It is available currently from Amazon for £4.98. My dvd had no extras - possbily because it was a rental copy.
...so I went into renting Vantage Point purely on the back of the interesting way the movie was made, seven different perspectives of an assignation from the seven people most involved, each getting a 15 minute segment of what they saw or did. For that ambition alone I thought it was well worth a look. Another plus is the mega cast, Sigourney Weaver onboard in a cameo role. Dennis Quaid is always great in the lead as the ansgty all-American guy and ... ...-A insight perspective of Vantage Point- Straightforward behind the scenes from cast & crew. -Plotting an Assignation- A bit about the plot and special effects -Surveillance Tapes- One of those irritating silent behind the scene fillers there for absolutely no reason. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Imdb.com scores it 6.7 out of 10.0 (43,738 votes) RuN-TiMe 90 minutes Any 2 films for 2 nights for £5 offer at Blockbusters = = = = = ...
thedevilinme 27.08.2009 (28.08.2009)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Vantage Point (DVD)
...which is told from the vantage point of 8 different characters. Piece by piece, their viewpoints add new elements to the plot line, giving twists and turns to keep you interested until they all culminate with all of the characters being involved in the final scenes. It is set up in a similar way to the TV series "24", as the action is shown in real time. With each character, you find out a little bit more about the motivation and aim of various characters.
... ...be familiar faces in every scene. Matthew Fox plays Kent Taylor, a US security agent in awe of old timer Thomas Barnes, played by Dennis Quaid, who previously saved President Ashton's (played by William Hurt) life. Barnes is fighting some fierce demons after that assassination attempt, and the summit is his return to frontline duty. Howard, played by Forrest Whittaker is a tourist, spending time away from his family working out how to right some ...
eandemam 03.07.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Vantage Point (DVD)
Advantages: Very thrilling and intriguing, good cast, decent DVD extras Disadvantages: Not particularly believable at the very end, you may struggle to keep up with it
- Cast & Crew -
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0443274/fullcredits
- Plot -
This movie starts with an outside broadcast TV crew in their van, giving out directions to their team about what to film as they cover an outdoor address the US President is giving at a counter terrorism summit in Salamanca in Spain. Things turn sinister, however, as a shot is fired and the President is hit, causing chaos before a bomb explodes.
After this, the minutes leading ... ...different peoples perspectives, all of whom witnessed what happened from a different angle. Each person gives the viewer a clue about what went on but are things as they seem, what really happened? you'll have to watch to find out.
- Genre/Type of Movie -
This is a political action thriller movie, with elements of conspiracy.
- Thoughts & Opinions -
This movie is one you need your thinking cap on for, it requires a fair bit of concentration. ...
IzzyS 16.11.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Vantage Point (DVD)
Advantages: Interesting story Disadvantages: Repeated Vantage points told
...which is presented in different vantage points. This is in effect a repeat of the story time after time from a different perspective of those people who were at the scene of the bomb blasts.
forest Whitaker is shown to be an honest looking person who is happy to be abroad in Spain for the first time in his life. He captures most of the story as it unfolds on his camcorder. He gets the action of the scenery, the suspected bomber who was standing ... ...attempt of the director to get a real time perspective of the action as it happened from the viewpoint of just an innocent bystander. He thinks that the Spanish undercover cop at first is the villain and then i was fascinated to watch the film as the camera effects and bomb explosions use different camera angles which makes it different when watching the story unfold from a different persons viewpoint. I would stress that whilst the film was seen ...
costas1234 07.06.2009 (18.06.2009)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Vantage Point (DVD)
Advantages: Storyline is interesting and they way everything is uncovered Disadvantages: Starts to get repeatative
I will try and tell you about the movie without giving too much away, otherwise it'll be pointless in you watching it, as it'll lose the surprise and spin that is added to the movie. The way that this movie has been made is rather clever. It shows you the points of views of a number of different people, and the only thing that remains the same is what they see in the end. It is different to most movies that are made which makes it more interesting. ... ...landmark summit on the global war on terror. When the President is shot, there is chaos, and after that there are two explosions to follow. This is where the movie starts to break up. For the first half of the movie it shows you what different people saw on the day, and just when you are about to find out who tried to assonate the president, time rewinds back to 12pm and you are shown the event through the eyes of someone else. Each view point reveals ...
patel88 06.04.2008 (07.04.2008)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Vantage Point (DVD)
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Advantages: Big booming blockbuster movie, just like the old days Disadvantages: Repetitive during the first hour
the All The Presidents Men of our new generation, for the next year it will have a good longevity, it's not however one of those movies we'll be talking about 10 years from now. If you enjoy action packed movies with a good but to the point storyline then VantagePoint is one for you.
VantagePoint is still at some cinemas, a June DVD release is scheduled for the UK.
Spencer Hawken 03/08 ...
thankless specious Middle Eastern role as Suarez.
The original music by Atli Örvarsson, like the rest of the film, is plagued by repetition. The main culprit is a string refrain with piano undertones and brushed cymbal that crops up every time a new piece of the puzzle drops into place. But there is the sense that you've heard everything before because of his generic thriller arrangements that are usually two parts strings to one part percussion. There are the obvious sad strings when people die and just in case you hadn't twigged that the bad guys are somehow connected to middle-eastern terrorists, there are Arabic pipes to remind you. In fact the only moment of originality in the score comes in Örvarsson's use of electronic music in an attack on a hotel. Otherwise it's rather bland and lazy.
"VantagePoint" is a generic thriller ...
Advantages: Good cast, reanable story, fast pace, excellent cinematography Disadvantages: Could have maybe had a more complex plot
would be with the cast. There isn't really a lead role in the movie, with the 8 different vantagepoints it makes everyone of the characters a lead for a part of the movie. I was particularly impressed with Forest Whitaker who seems to be really enhancing an already impressive acting career. His performance is assured and I would say is easily the best of all the actors on display. He plays an awestruck American tourist and does so with great conviction, in a way you tend to regularly see American tourists in European cities.
The rest of the cast were equally believable in their roles and like Whitaker there were real standout performances from Dennis Quaid and Matthew Fox as the Presidents secret service agents. It is a very good cast which also includes William Hunt and Sigourney Weaver who all play their parts very well. Unlike ...
Contains moderate violence and one use of strong language
Video Category
Feature Film
Country Of Origin
United States of America
Plot
An attempt on the life of the U.S. president reveals a much larger conspiracy in this thriller starring Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox, and Forest Whitaker. VANTAGE POINT takes the point of view of five witnesses and shows them all to reveal the truth about what happened.
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
SONY PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMENT; CINRAM LOGISTICS
Director commentary , Deleted scene, An Inside Perspective featurette, Plotting An Assasination featurette,
Aspect Ratio
2.40 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1
Dubbing Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1 Czech English Hungarian
Professional reviews
Review
...it's a tremendous piece of engineering. And the hurtling force of VANTAGE POINT is fun to watch (Village Voice, 29/02/2008)
DVD Description
A presidential assassination attempt is told from multiple points of view in Pete Travis' directorial debut, VANTAGE POINT. U.S. president Ashton (William Hurt) is in Salamanca, Spain, to announce plans for a major global summit on terrorism. But as he stands behind the podium in front of an adoring crowd (with protesters blocked off from the stage), he is shot twice, followed shortly by a small explosion and then a massive blast. Secret Service Agents Barnes (Dennis Quaid), Taylor (Matthew Fox), and Holden (Richard T. Jones) immediately jump into action, trying to find the terrorists responsible amid all the chaos. The thriller first shows the events through the eyes of television news producer Rex Brooks (Sigourney Weaver), and then the film rewinds, replaying the action from a different point of view. Each perspective reveals a few more clues, then rewinds again, taking the audience through the assassination attempt and its aftermath again. VANTAGE POINT has the feel of the 1950 Akira Kurosawa classic RASHOMON, told with the speed of the television show 24. The all-star cast also includes Forest Whitaker (THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND), who gives another fine performance, playing an American tourist recording everything on his video camera. The rewind device--reminiscent of the Bill Murray comedy GROUNDHOG DAY--could have been gimmicky, but instead Travis and first-time screenwriter Barry L. Levy make it work, as more details are revealed with each flashback, leading to a pulse-pounding chase and surprising finale.
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