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Vantage Point Our rating: Rate this movie   MPAA rating: PG-13 (for sequences of intense violence and action, some disturbing images and brief strong language) Genre: Action, Suspense Theater release: February 22, 2008 by Sony Pictures Directed by: Pete Travis Runtime: 1 hour 30 minutes Cast: Dennis Quaid (Thomas Barnes), Matthew Fox (Kent Taylor), Forest Whitaker (Howard Lewis), William Hurt (President Ashton), Sigourney Weaver (Rex Brooks), Eduardo Noriega (Enrique), Ayelet Zurer (Veronica), Saïd Taghmaoui (Suarez), Edgar Ramirez (Javier) Related: Talk About It/Family Corner

In Spain, an American news team covers a public rally where President Ashton (William Hurt) is expected to announce his new counterterrorism plan to the world. As his motorcade pulls in to the plaza, protesters voice their disapproval outside, suggesting that Ashton is about as popular overseas as President George W. Bush. After a short introduction by the city's mayor, the TV cameras zoom in expectantly as he takes the podium.

Suddenly, before he can speak, shots ring out. The President is down, and the crowd is thrown into a panic. News producer Rex Brooks (Sigourney Weaver) quickly barks orders to her camera crew and reporters to sort out the action. Two small explosions echo in the distance, adding to the confusion. Minutes later, a bomb goes off near the stage, killing and injuring several more people.

William Hurt as President Ashton

That's the first 10 minutes of Vantage Point, and pretty much the next 10 after that, and the next 10, and the next …

The film is a high-tech whodunit of a thriller that plays like an episode of television's 24 crossed with Rashomon. We view the same sequence of events over and over from eight different perspectives, each adding a new piece to the puzzle in a race against time to find out who's responsible, and what's really going on. Digital recording adds to the intrigue as characters gain insights reviewing footage from just moments ago. Gimmicky, yes, but Vantage Point is quite involving and engrossing, if not somewhat repetitive.

After the film's opening segment, we follow secret service agent Thomas Barnes (Dennis Quaid), an aging veteran who took a bullet in the line of duty six months ago. He's newly back on detail, thanks to his friend and fellow agent Kent Taylor (Matthew Fox). We experience the events from their perspective onstage guarding the President. Their actions soon introduce us to Howard (Forest Whitaker), an American tourist who may have caught the shooter on his video camera, and Enrique (Eduardo Noriega), a cop who may or may not be involved in the assassination.

Dennis Quaid and Matthew Fox as Secret Service agents

I wouldn't dare reveal more than that, but it goes without saying that nothing is as it seems. Characters are introduced early, their importance revealed later like a live-action game of Clue. Conversations from a distance take on new meaning up close later. A fluttering curtain in a window from one vantage point proves more significant in another.

Thus the film is nearly impossible to solve. It steers you the whole way, allowing you to see only what it wants you to see. But at least it never changes its facts with the different perspectives, like other similar Rashomon styled movies. The later scenes simply provide details and context to things that we could only glimpse in earlier scenes.

Perhaps that's ultimately for the best to create a more compelling storytelling experience. Vantage Point isn't really about the audience solving the mystery first as much as watching the mystery unfold and discovering the puzzle pieces alongside the characters, video cameras and cell phones being their primary crime-solving tools. Sure, you can make guesses along the way based on some minor clues, but you'd mostly be shooting in the dark. However, people that enjoy being surprised should know not to watch the trailer too closely, since it reveals two plot points that are key (though not entirely crucial).

Forest Whitaker as Howard Lewis, an American tourist in Spain

The camerawork in Vantage Point is often frenetic, relying on handheld visuals that dip and sway through crowds, or chase down streets and hallways. There's not quite as much need for Dramamine as there was for Cloverfield, but the overall feel is very similar to 24 and the Bourne movies, particularly a spectacular car chase toward the film's finale.

All of which is rather impressive for a relative newcomer like director Pete Travis, who does a terrific job of keeping everything stylish and fast-paced. Not surprising since the script by first-time screenwriter Barry Levy leaves no room for slow spots. At 90 minutes, Vantage Point is tightly wound, driven by skillful filmmaking and strong performances from the cast all around—that goes for everyone from the big names down to the extras that believably recreate the terror of ground zero.

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