Thanks for all the rates - if you read one of my reviews, then I will return the favour! Would appr...
Thanks for all the rates - if you read one of my reviews, then I will return the favour! Would appreciate any reads of my Flashforward review - it came through too fast!
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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.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
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: 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
IzzyS 16.11.2008 (16.11.2008)
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Review of Vantage Point (DVD)
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