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Movies / On DVD / Vantage Point
Vantage Point

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Vantage Point (2008)

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Reviews Counted:151

Fresh:53

Rotten:98

Average Rating:5/10

Consensus: Vantage Point has an interesting premise that is completely undermined by fractured storytelling and wooden performances.

Rated: 12A [See Full Rating] for sequences of intense violence and action, some disturbing images and brief strong language.

Runtime: 90 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

Theatrical Release:07-03-2008

Synopsis: A presidential assassination attempt is told from multiple points of view in Pete Travis's directorial debut, VANTAGE POINT. U.S. president Ashton (William Hurt) is in Salamanca, Spain (though much... A presidential assassination attempt is told from multiple points of view in Pete Travis's directorial debut, VANTAGE POINT. U.S. president Ashton (William Hurt) is in Salamanca, Spain (though much of the film was actually shot in Mexico), to announce plans for a major global summit on terrorism. But as he stands behind the podium in front of an adoring crowd (with protesters blocked off from the stage), he is shot twice, followed shortly by a small explosion and then a massive blast. Secret Service Agents Barnes (Dennis Quaid), Taylor (Matthew Fox), and Holden (Richard T. Jones) immediately jump into action, trying to find the terrorists responsible amid all the chaos. The thriller first shows the events through the eyes of television news producer Rex Brooks (Sigourney Weaver), and then the film rewinds, replaying the action from a different point of view. Each perspective reveals a few more clues, then rewinds again, taking the audience through the assassination attempt and its aftermath again. VANTAGE POINT has the feel of the 1950 Akira Kurosawa classic RASHOMON, told with the speed of the television show 24. The all-star cast also includes Forest Whitaker, who gives another fine performance, playing an American tourist recording everything on his video camera. The rewind device--reminiscent of the Bill Murray comedy GROUNDHOG DAY--could have been gimmicky, but instead Travis and first-time screenwriter Barry L. Levy make it work, as more details are revealed with each flashback, leading to a pulse-pounding chase and surprising finale. [More]

Starring: Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox, Forest Whitaker, Sigourney Weaver

Starring: Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox, Forest Whitaker, Sigourney Weaver, William Hurt, Zoe Saldana

Director: Pete Travis

Director: Pete Travis
Screenwriter: Barry L. Levy
Producer: Neal H. Moritz
Composer: Atli Orvarsson
Studio: Sony Pictures Entertainment

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Reviews for Vantage Point

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Watchably silly at best, it's the political thriller as an unintentional comedy of errors - 24 meets Noises Off.

Full Review Source: Daily Telegraph | comment 1 Comment
03/07/08
Tim Robey
Tim Robey
Daily Telegraph
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Vantage Point might sound intriguing on paper but it's all gimmick and not a lot of substance.

Full Review Source: Times [UK] | comment Comment
03/07/08
Wendy Ide
Wendy Ide
Times [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

As much as we'd like to see an American president made accountable, we don't have to see it over and over and over again.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
03/07/08
Demetrios Matheou
Demetrios Matheou
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The stories are cleverly interwoven, with a couple of unexpected twists, and the patient viewer is rewarded with a doozy of a car chase in the last reel.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
03/07/08
Paul Arendt
Paul Arendt
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Although mounted with no little efficiency by director Pete Travis (who previously made the TV drama-doc ‘Omagh’), the narrative enterprise actually hides a one-dimensional world view, with civilian casualties mere background set dressing.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
03/07/08
Trevor Johnston
Trevor Johnston
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It charms - despite hitting the odd seam of schmaltz - and teenagers will find much to tempt them away from their X-Boxes and PSPs.

Full Review Source: Sky Movies | comment Comment
03/07/08
Tim Evans
Tim Evans
Sky Movies

As daft as it all becomes, Vantage Point is never dull. Approach it like a double-bill of 24 and there’s enough excitement to overcome the clichés, particularly during the climactic car chase.

Full Review Source: Sky Movies | comment 1 Comment
03/07/08
Elliott Noble
Elliott Noble
Sky Movies

Some okay thrills with good performances and some smarts. But the last reel plunge spoils things.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
03/07/08
Kim Newman
Kim Newman
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

There's an interesting idea here, showing a major political event from various perspectives until we finally get to the real story. The problem is that the real story is rather contrived.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
02/23/08
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

Vantage Point is a patented representative of this year's early mediocrity. Vantage Point is trailer trash.

Full Review Source: Fayetteville Free Weekly | comment Comment
02/02/09
Tony Macklin
Tony Macklin
Fayetteville Free Weekly

For movies like Vantage Point, life is too short.

Full Review Source: Projection Booth | comment Comment
08/24/08
Rob Humanick
Rob Humanick
Projection Booth

If you are looking for mindless action, it's not bad. But since this is trying to be something more than that, I can't quite recommend it.

Full Review Source: Sin Magazine | comment Comment
07/22/08
Austin Kennedy
Austin Kennedy
Sin Magazine

The whodunit-with-terrorist-undertones doesn't test, shock or surprise the audience in any unique way.

Full Review Source: Spectrum (St. George, Utah) | comment Comment
07/19/08
Bruce Bennett
Bruce Bennett
Spectrum (St. George, Utah)

It swears it's being clever yet refuses to trust the audience.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
07/17/08
David Cornelius
David Cornelius
eFilmCritic.com

Asks us to believe the terrorists would, after slaughtering countless people, risk their entire plan--and their very lives--on...well, I won't say. But from my vantage point, it was ridiculous.

Full Review Source: Groucho Reviews | comment Comment
07/01/08
Peter Canavese
Peter Canavese
Groucho Reviews

[Vantage Point is] a puzzle cut by a drunken, three-fingered jigsaw operator who lost a few pieces and chewed on a few others.

Full Review Source: Paste Magazine | comment Comment
06/08/08
Robert Davis
Robert Davis
Paste Magazine

To fall for Vantage Point you have to throw away any connection to reality.

Full Review Source: Windy City Times | comment Comment
05/22/08
Richard Knight
Richard Knight
Windy City Times

This is satisfying Friday night popcorn fare - slick and noisy and utterly disposable.

Full Review Source: Mansized | comment Comment
05/13/08
Chris Laverty
Chris Laverty
Mansized

If you thought 24's perspective on terrorism was, well, limited, get ready to groan. The meat and potatoes of Vantage Point -- the suicide bomb explosions, the bloody fisticuffs and blaring car chases -- are indeed awesome, and that's what truly matters f

Full Review Source: Peterborough This Week | comment Comment
04/15/08
Mike Sage
Mike Sage
Peterborough This Week

Those inclined to scrutinize the logic of Barry Levy's screenplay are likely to come away as baffled by its farfetched twists as amused by its bombastic excesses.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Examiner | comment Comment
04/10/08
Rossiter Drake
Rossiter Drake
San Francisco Examiner
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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