• the217
• Movies + TV
• A disadvantaged point

Related Media

• See Slideshow (2 images)

Vantage Point

Buzz says:   MPAA Rating: PG-13
Current Showtimes: No showtimes available

Films in which the viewer sees one action through multiple characters’ eyes can be tricky to pull off. There are some classic films that use this device successfully, take Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon or Oliver Stone’s JFK for example. These films are successful because the narratives they employ keep the plot moving and the character’s viewpoints interesting. While Vantage Point has some entertaining moments, a gimmicky employment of this multiple perspective narrative device, bad acting and a contrived story bring down the overall film.

The movie takes place in Spain where the U.S. President (William Hurt) is about to announce a new anti-terrorism initiative. Right before the speech, an unknown assassin shoots the president as a bomb explodes just below the speech stage. This action is first seen through the eyes of a television news director (Sigourney Weaver), then the movie rewinds and we see it through five other perspectives - the most important of which is Secret Service Agent Thomas Barnes (Dennis Quaid). We’re given this narrative through the perspective of many other side characters including Forest Whitaker who plays a tourist with a video camera that may contain footage of the shooters.

The main problem with this movie is that we see the assassination way too many times. With the first 90 minutes of the film being spent explaining what all the character were doing when the shooting took place, only a rushed half hour is left to neatly tie everything into a nice package. The multiple viewpoints that seemed suspenseful at first, were, by the third and fourth characters, laughable. And the “emotional” scenes in the film were so cheesy and poorly acted that it felt like a daytime soap opera.

Vantage Point is a disappointment. What could have been a great action thriller is nothing more than a wasted opportunity. The movie has a few interesting twists and some decent action scenes, but not enough to merit a recommendation. Overall, Vantage Point fails to use its multiple perspective narrative effectively, becoming nothing more than a failed gimmick.