| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Dennis Quaid | ... | ||
| Matthew Fox | ... | ||
| Forest Whitaker | ... | ||
| Bruce McGill | ... | ||
| Edgar Ramírez | ... |
Javier
(as Edgar Ramirez)
|
|
| Saïd Taghmaoui | ... | ||
| Ayelet Zurer | ... | ||
| Zoe Saldana | ... |
Angie Jones
(as Zoë Saldana)
|
|
| Sigourney Weaver | ... | ||
| William Hurt | ... | ||
| James Le Gros | ... | ||
| Eduardo Noriega | ... | ||
| Richard T. Jones | ... | ||
| Holt McCallany | ... | ||
| Leonardo Nam | ... | ||
The President of the United States is in Salamanca, Spain, about to address the city in a public square. We see a plain-clothes cop, his girlfriend with another man, a mother and child, an American tourist with a video camera, and a Secret Service agent newly returned from medical leave. Shots ring out and the President falls; a few minutes later, we hear a distant explosion, then a bomb goes off in the square. Those minutes are retold, several times, emphasizing different characters' actions. Gradually, we discover who's behind the plot. Is the Secret Service one step ahead, or have the President's adversaries thought of everything? Written by <[email protected]>
Some reviewers make it out to almost be a B-movie, but it isn't, not by a long shot.
The story revolves around the assassination of the US president who is attending a counter-terrorism summit in Spain. The film is told from multiple viewpoints and the events that transpire within a 23-minute time frame, thus a Groundhog Day-like experience.
Vantage Point is really just an action film . . . pure and simple. When seeing this film, don't expect a complex and deep storyline; it certainly isn't that. The proper approach is to just take it for what it is. I liked this film because it had no pretensions. It didn't want to pretend that it needs to be over-analyzed by the viewer. There are no lengthy sub-plots and behind-the-back conspiracy pieces, no need to explain who is fighting for what cause. And if you approach with this frame of mind, then I assure you, you won't get bored or disappointed.
It's a movie that doesn't need to be analyzed ad nauseam. It doesn't care about needing to tie up lose ends and explain all the circumstances surrounding the assassination. Approach it from *that* "vantage point" and you'll appreciate it more.