Vantage Point review

Here is a LookingForClues movie review of an action movie that tells its story from several points of view, Vantage Point. At Amazon.com, the average rating is 3.5 out of 5 stars. After you read our review, why not buy a copy - chances are you'll LOVE it! It's out on DVD - Own it now! Plot Synopsis: During an historic counter-terrorism summit in Spain the President of the United States 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). Read more... Please read our review of Vantage Point, below. To get your own copy of the movie and see what it's all about, please click on this ad, or click on one of the other DVDs for sale at Amazon.com.

The Ultimate Vantage Point by Lynda Rey    8/1/08 Oh let's just face it. It's not often that we the common folk are privy to movies from alternate viewpoints of the characters. How many times do we see movies nowadays where we get to see how some random character behind another character felt when they saw the exact same event as someone else? Now whether or not you find such a concept appealing is your own rightful choice, but as for me, I just fell in love with the idea. And so here presented to us in all its multiple viewpoint glory is the movie "Vantage Point," a thrillingly suspenseful film which depicts everyday people's reactions to a very serious moment: the shooting of the President of the United States. Yeah, the plot may be common enough from many other movies of old, but this film's got what they have all lacked, which is a vantage point from several of the movie's characters simultaneously with each other. There's no other title as fitting as the one for this movie. Obviously, we are unable to see all of these personal viewpoints all at once, but that's the beauty of it. Quite literally, this movie rewinds itself from one character's vantage point to begin portraying the vantage point of another's. I admit, it did get a little frustrating after awhile knowing that each character's viewpoint was approaching a rather critical point where you just have to know what will happen next. But alas, we are forced to wait just a little while longer. Somehow, the system works, and the tension gradually builds within each character's story. As previously mentioned, "Vantage Point" is about what various people see during the shooting of the United States' President while making a public appearance in Spain. It starts out like any movie where we the audience are on the outside looking in. True, the first vantage point is from the perspective of a few news reporters who are filming the event, but despite that fact, this particular viewpoint works wonderfully to introduce what this movie is all about. As expected, the characters are in utter panic as they hear a series of gunshots, and thereafter watch their President fall to the floor on their camera screens. Add a couple of bombs going off to further worsen an already devastated crowd, and there's chaos on their hands. Then the movie continues on to take us further and further into the action from even more intimate perspectives, but without giving away too many details too fast. We meet Thomas Barnes, portrayed by the skillful Dennis Quaid, and Kent Taylor, portrayed by Matthew Fox. Both are the top Secret Service agents assigned to protect the President, and with probably the most intimate perspectives of the movie for very obvious reasons. Thereafter come the perspectives of other characters, each with its own crucial part in the play of events that will inevitably link together in the end to tell the same story. If I had to choose the most interesting vantage point, it would have to be that of Howard Lewis, an everyday average American tourist who just happens to be filming the event. Forrest Whitaker, no stranger to adding gentle humanism to his roles, brings life to our regular American man who wasn't cut out to be heroic, but sure does try his hardest to do so. Other vantage points eventually follow, of course, from that of a Spanish citizen seemingly in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong idea on his mind, to that of the very President of the United States, to even that of the terrorists committing the horrific crime. As cliché as it may sound, each of these perspectives are nail-biting, and anyone can find themselves just itching to know what will happen next, but without finding that answer when they want it the most. Oh it can be so very unbearable, but that makes it all the more thrilling to experience. As the movie nears its conclusion, all vantage points from all characters mesh together to become one continual storyline just as intense as the individual ones. And so here is the finished product, this Vantage Point, one of the most thrilling movies I've seen this year, added to my very large collection of movies. It's a fun adventure, but a serious one at the same time. The DVD itself is rather satisfactory too. Two versions were released including the basic single disc edition with special features, and the 2 disc edition, which apparently differs only in that it offers a bonus digital copy of the film. But for those of us out there who don't want to spend the extra money on an extra disc we'd probably never use, the single disc edition works just fine. The Special Features are as informative as they come, very handy for the curious sort of people who want to know how their favorite scenes came together. All in all, if you're looking to be thrilled but can tolerate a little frustration from not learning everything at once, then by all means, make this movie yours. And see if your own vantage point from your cushy couch won't be the best seat in the house. Lynda is 26 years old, lives in Indiana, and hopes to one day pursue a career working with animals. She enjoys many forms of self-expression, including art, poetry, and writing, which is one of the latter additions to her list of hobbies. Comments

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