Vantage Point
Saturday, May 31, 2008
“8 Strangers. 8 Points of View. 1 Truth.”
Vantage Point is a pretty intense thriller about an assassination attempt on the President. The gimmick of this movie is that said attempt is viewed from many different perspectives – from one of his secret servicemen to an innocent bystander, to more than one suspect. I call it a gimmick because, every time they go through one perspective, they leave you with a question and then mock ‘rewind’ everything you’ve seen back to noon on that day and start again with someone else. Which is great… the first one or two times… then we GET IT, so no need for the stupid rewinding crap… just fade to black and start the clock at noon again!!! We’re not stupid!!! [the rewinding made me a little crazy...] Good thing I’m a big Dennis Quaid fan [I think I fell in love with him when I saw him in Dreamscape back in '84, when I was 10 years old]. I also love Matthew Fox [we're Lost fans and before that he was my favorite character on that crazy-ass pathetic, yet addictive show Party of Five. I still get angry when I think of all the hours I 'lost' to that show [haha!]… which is kind of how I’m feeling about Lost these days, but I keep watching!!! GHAH!… and I still here, “Charlie? CHARLIE?!!” every time I see his face… but, I digress…].
The ensemble cast is amazing with Forest Whitaker, Sigourney Weaver, William Hurt among others… and there are some great twists and turns. The ending becomes a little ridiculous because you and I know how old Dennis Quaid is – don’t get me wrong, the man is a hot pepaw and in fine shape – but… well, I won’t ruin it for you, but there are scenes where you think, “Oh, come ON!” Luckily, it’s not bad enough to pan this movie. For the most part, the story was great, the different perspectives keep you guessing and there are enough twists to make you want to know what the hell is going on.
I’d give this a 3 1/2 out of 5 and say it’s worth renting. Pacing is great and there are some really intense, suspenseful scenes to keep you on the edge of your seat.
~ HELENA
Add’l Info: Released: Feb 22, 2008 • Runtime: 90 minutes • Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense violence and action, some disturbing images and brief strong language
