Vantage Point B-
Starring Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox, William Hurt, and Forest Whitaker
Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense violence and action, some disturbing images and brief strong language
Appropriate for ages 13+
The Story: Set in modern-day Spain, the President of the United States (Hurt) is attending a summit and arranges to make a public good-will speech. Before he utters a word, he is shot by an assassin. This scenario is told over and over again from different vantage points and character views until the story resolves itself. During the course of the film the audience sees the view from the Secret Serviceman (Quaid), the American tourist (Whitaker), the President himself, and the assassins and how they all intertwine.
The Good: For an action film, you could do much worse. There is plenty of adrenaline for everyone and you barely get a chance to breathe before the story starts over again. Yes it’s a little gimmicky, but the gimmick pays off and leaves us with an overall entertaining experience. I think that you have to appreciate the originality here and the 24 style film making works well with the premise.
The Bad: Quaid is very good here, but some of the performances, especially Whitaker’s, are pretty cheesy. I also thought that the big twist was more than a little predictable, but it doesn’t hurt the effectiveness too much.
The Summary: Creativity combined with fast action makes this a nice little popcorn flick.