Vantage Point

2008-Action/Mystery

I'm a fan of Forest Whitaker. I like that he has an odd presence on and off camera, I just don't know what to make out of him. Because of that I enjoy the films he is in (yep, even Ghost Dog). This was a film brought to the House by none other than our personal Technician Nick.

Synopsis:

President Ashton (William Hurt) is attending a global war on terror summit in Spain. Thomas Barnes (Dennis Quaid) and Kent Taylor (Matthew Fox) are two of the Secret Service agents assigned to protect him. This is the first action that Agent Barnes has been in since he took a bullet for President Ashton six-month earlier. We really dont know if Agent Barnes is up to the challenge of protecting the President. Shortly after President Ashton is escorted to the stage in the plaza by the Secret Service, he is immediately shot twice by a rifle from a window and falls to the floor. The crowd is in shock and chaos breaks out all over, especially, when bombs begin to explode. Howard Lewis (Forest Whitaker) is an American video-taping the event to show to his children that he was actually there at this historic event. He believes that he has the picture of the man who shot the President. Agent Barnes sees the tape and has a clue to that person. Several different people witness the event, and only through their eyes do we see the truth behind the assassination attempt.

All-in-All:

This film was surprisingly good. Just when the vantage points (perspectives) get tiresome suddenly things go amiss. The action was perfectly executed, and the plot threads are masterfully woven. But my favorite thing about this film is more of the 'behind the scenes' aspect of the shots were taken simultaneously. Each camera troupe following each individual actor doing his/her parts to the climax. This film is a great example of directors and writers thinking outside the box of the genre.

Riko's Rating: B+