VANTAGE POINT

[indianasmith]

I had been intrigued by the trailers for this one while it was in theaters, and I finally got to watch it last night.  It is an incredible, entertaining, confusing work with multiple twists along the way.

While giving a speech in Spain, the President of the United States is shot in the chest by an assassin.  Moments later, an explosion occurs in the lobby of a hotel about a mile away.  Then, as the scene of the shooting is still racked by confusion and panic, the stage the President was speaking on is blown up by a bomb.

A veteran Secret Service agent, who has already taken a bullet for President Ashton a year earlier, leads the investigation to find out who shot the President and why, and to apprehend the shooter.

Numerous eyewitnesses saw and filmed the event from different angles.  Each one of their cameras holds different clues.

This movie was very intense from start to finish.  The main event - the assassination - is shown about five times from five different VANTAGE POINTS, hence the title.  And without giving  away too much, you discover about 20 minutes into the film that the man who was gunned down on the stage was not the President but a double.

The movie certainly kept you sucked in, and didn't let you up for air until it reached its denouement.  The only disappointment was the lack of explanantion as to who was behind the attack.  You are left with hints of some big neocon conspiracy (of course), but it is never really fleshed out.  But all in all, this movie passed the big E-test I demand of all films . . . it ENTERTAINED me.

So what did everyone else think of this one?

[Monkeyface]

I wanted to see this one too since seeing the trailers but just haven't had the chance.  Everyone I know who saw it said they liked it but that it gets confusing in parts.

[The Burgomaster]

I was thoroughly disappointed by this movie.  Dennis Quaid's character is very one-dimensional.  I couldn't relate to him and I didn't care if he caught the bad guys or not.  The concept of the movie is great, but the execution was lousy.  It turned into a typical "I've seen this 1,000 times" car-and-foot chase through the crowded city streets.  I wanted to see this when it was in theaters, but I ended up not seeing it.  So, I bought the DVD the first day it was released and watched it that night.  I couldn't get into it and my mind kept wandering.  So, a couple days later I watched it again hoping I would like it better the second time.  Nope.  Total disappointment.

[indianasmith]

The trailers did make it look more interesting than it was, but my disappointment was more in the lack of resolution than in the overall execution of the film.  I thought the suspense and multiple angles worked.

[Torgo]

I've been aiming to catch this one on DVD but haven't gotten around to it yet.

Some friends of mine who have seen it said that they didn't like how many plot threads it supposedly leaves hanging at the end.

[Neville]

Hated it, but had a great time laughing at all its WTF moments.

Where to start? Well, at first they give you the same minutes several times from multiple perspectives... and then, when they reach a dead end, they just go "aw, forget it" and turn it into a normal movie. That's why I had to sit through all those repetitions?

And the whole last segment look like a cheapo copy of any Bourne movie. And the ending? WTF? Do all the streets in Salamanca end in the exact same spot?

So I say, crappy movie, and a wasted effort.

[The Burgomaster]

Do all the streets in Salamanca end in the exact same spot?

Neville is right on target with this comment!  Amidst the running, car chases, panic, mayhem, explosions, shooting, screaming, crying, and general carrying on . . . just about every major character somehow ends up in the same spot on the same street at the exact same moment.

[Monkeyface]

And the ending? WTF?

Isn't it retarded how one inconsequential character can foil the months of planning from some obviously pretty smart, but ridiculously caring, terrorists!

[CheezeFlixz]

I thought it was ok, the constant repeat from each vantage point got a little annoying ... I was like ok I've seen that, no need to repeat it, show me the new stuff.

Knowing US secret service security I don't think it's very plausible plot. Roughly 400+ agents travel with the President, 380 you never see. So while something could happen, it's not likely.
 

[ulthar]

We watched it last week.  I was a little disappointed in VANTAGE POINT as well.  We didn't really dislike it, just was not over-awed by it. 

Another run-of-the-mill flick that the makers think is SO CLEVER due to some trick (and I too was tired of seeing the same things after about the second time) - a variation on the washed-up-has-been saves the day (almost single handed), etc.

I think it could have been so much more.  Perhaps if the makers had gone for a more intellectual approach (rather than 'too fast, too furious' action), and focused on putting the pieces together during an investigation or some such, it might have worked better for me.

That said, it's certainly not a bad way to burn 90 minutes.