PG-13 for Sequences of intense violence and action, some disturbing images and brief strong language.
Directed by Pete Travis (First Feature Film)
Staring Dennis Quaid, William Hurt, Matthew Fox, Sigourney Weaver, and Forest Whitaker
The tag line reads, “8 Strangers. 8 Points of View. 1 Truth.” This 90-minute ride to that one truth is pretty entertaining.
Vantage Point is the story of Thomas Barnes (Dennis Quaid) and Kent Taylor (Matthew Fox), who are two Secret Service agents assigned to protect the President (William Hurt) at a landmark summit discussing the global war on terror. Moments after his arrival in Spain, President Ashton is shot and chaos ensues. In the crowd is Howard Lewis (Forest Whitaker) an American tourist video taping the historic event, a little girl and several shady characters. Outside the courtyard are Rex (Sigourney Weaver) and Angie Jones (Zoe Saldana) who are a part of an American TV news crew. We follow each person's perspective of approximately the same 15-minute window prior to and immediately after the shooting, slowly revealing the truth behind the assassination attempt is revealed.
Did you catch that last part? This is a 90-minute movie that tells the same short story several different times. I knew right away that some people would hate that, in fact around the fourth time the screen went black with just a clock reading, “11:59”, someone actually yelled out loud, “Come on, not again!”
But seeing the same scene over and over from a different point of view, revealing a different side of the same story really worked for me. Although there are some scenes that get played over and over and over, I found my interest peaked, as I kept looking for the next secret or twist. It reminded me of a NBC show a few years ago called Boomtown that basically used the same form of story telling and yeah I loved that one too.
Denis Quaid is so strong throughout the film in one of his “just really cool” roles. Matthew Fox and Forest Witicker also have some great moments, and I was impressed with first-time director Pete Travis’ ability to tell the story and to keep the pace moving.
I didn't give it a “Theater Worthy” score because I could see most 'surprises' coming a mile away. It would have been nice to have had a bigger and/or better twist.
No awards will be given to the cast or crew, but it’s a fun rental.
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
The PG-13 rating is true. While the shooting of the president, the shootouts, the bombs exploding and the car chase are very intense, they are not very graphic (by that I mean there is not a ton of blood splattering everywhere. In fact there is no blood when the president is shot).
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
- What are some of the messages or themes you observed in this movie?
- How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
- How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
