Customer Reviews

Vantage Point (Two-Disc Special Edition)

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(51)
3 star:		(31)
2 star:		(24)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

Vantage Point is an ingenious action thriller surrounding the attempted assasination of the U.S. President attending an international conference in Spain. The movie is actually 'about" 15 minutes but is seen from the "vantage point' (sorry) of about six different people. Each perspective presents a tad more about the swirling espionage associated with the conference until you realize that nothing is what you thought it was (AT ALL) in the beginning.

Perhaps I am not sophisticated enough to dwell on the supposed GLARING shortcomings of the film. I suspect some "critics" are conditioned/programmed to be oh so discerning that they can't see the forest for the trees - this was a thrilling, action-packed, and rather clever way of looking at an intense incident and is an excellent example of the age-old adage that truth is relative. Six people can look at exactly the same thing and see six different things.

Fun movie. Great action flick. I indeed recommend.

What a conderful concept - the same situation from several 'vantage points'. Dennis Quaid is fun to watch put the pieces together, leaving you hanging in-between changing 'vantage points'. An overdone chase scene adds action someone must have felt was needed. In spite of that, this is entertaining and keeps you pondering (if not wondering) what the next scene will bring.

The story line of VANTAGE POINT is a brief one: a summit meeting on terrorism aimed at addressing the differences between the Arab world and the Western world is taking place in Salamanca, Spain and the arrival of the President of the United States is greeted with assassination attempts, terrorist explosions, and car chases. The difference in this thriller from the many others of the same genre is the use of telling the story from at least five different vantage points - the news reporters (Sigourney Weaver, Zoë Saldana and Staff), the CIA (Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox, et al with William Hurt as the President), a group of terrorists, an American bystander with camera (Forest Whitaker), and the viewing public. Things are not as they initially seem and the more times the story is rerun through repetition of the incident, the more information is added.

Based on a story by Barry Levy and directed by Pete Travis the film could become tiresome in its use of repeated reruns, but given the quality of the cast and the twists and turns as the 'plot' is further elucidated makes the story more of an investigation of Intelligence forces from all involved countries and drives home the reason 'terrorism' is so terrifying. Some of the peripheral cast members are particularly fine - Bruce McGill, Edgar Ramirez, Saïd Taghmaoui, Ayelet Zurer, and Eduardo Noriega among others. It is a film that takes patience on the part of the viewer, but staying with it until the end results in some very fine entertainment. Grady Harp, July 08

SPOILER WARNING!! Do not read this review if you don't want the movie revealed to you. It is a stupid movie so you would be losing nothing, but as someone else pointed out, you should be given the opportunity to know that my review does have spoilers in it.

I can't believe there aren't many more 1 star reviews on this horrible movie.

Wow, where do we start. Well, how about with the cell phone. It is fortunate for the free world that the bad guy hadn't completely read the owners manual because it would have meant some serious trouble for the rest of us. I'm sure the phone also has the ability to remotely fly Air Force 1, make the lights go and off in every office building in Spain, and order a pizza at the same time. Controlling a sniper rifle is child's play for that thing.

Do we really believe that the Secret Service is that inept? I've actually known Secret Service guys - that one lone bad guy dude at the end, THAT is the way THEY are. Talking about that super bad dude. Can anyone please explain to me why he put a mask over his face? He kills a squad of highly trained agents, then puts on his mask, kills a dozen more agents to the point where there is NO ONE LEFT (save one) and then he takes off his mask??!!! Why put it on in the first place???!!!

Then there is the ridiculous child in the movie. As someone else pointed out, these guys kill scores of innocent people but the guy has a case of consciousness at the end and rolls over his vehicle? What?? NO NO NO - a true bad guy (and this guy was) was not going to stop. Terrorists do not brake for Raccoons, squirrels, or little girls.

Why was Weaver in this movie?

I had no idea it was so so easy to place and transport bombs from place to place where the President was going to be. This movie has let out all of its secrets - who knew?

The plot was absolutely ridiculous. These movie makers know NOTHING about security. It is true that most people don't either, but you know watching this movie that even though you may not know much about it, there is common sense. Common sense would tell you that this movie was total crap.

Oh - another thing. Since when would you ever see a Russian, Chinese, or French secret service agent equivalent running through OUR streets, car jacking by simply flashing their Chinese/Russian/French badge, and firing shots into the air after a "suspect", who just so happens to be a policeman of OUR country. Heck not only shooting into the air but AT the suspect in a street full of innocent people. "Our" innocent people. Would any of us stand for that? Would any country stand for our secret service agents driving down their streets and shooting at people indiscriminately? Secondly, if one of them fires his gun half a dozen times (or was it a dozen, in all of the excitement I lost track myself) you would think they would be good enough to HIT their target. Of course the super bad dude NEVER missed. That is why I call him the "super" bad dude.

Do not waste your time with this movie. The trailer showed great promise and I am sure that this "could" have been a great movie. What an utter disappointment. Even more so that people actually like this movie. I know people are entitled to their opinion, but shees.

I was quite satisfied with this movie. The film unfolds the plot in a very unique. Remenicent of Christopher Nolan's classic Memento, Vantage point graps your attention and does not let it go untill the very end. The acting in the film is solid, with big names like Whitaker, Quaid and Hurt. While the plot itself isn't particularly unique, Vantage Point's special form of storytelling makes the film worth repeated viewings.

I wanted to see Vantage Point since it came out in theaters, but I never got the chance. Maybe that was a good thing because while this movie has its points I don't feel that it is as a complete story line as it is made out to be. The best way that I can describe this movie is when you are unwrapping a present in a big box, and then you find a smaller box inside of the larger box and so on. That is how this movie is, times 6, because of the 6 different vantage points that the film is based on. Not until you get to the last box that you are unwrapping do you see how all of the parts fit together, and that is really what spins this movie. There is plenty of action which keeps this films constantly moving, and one thing that I did like is when each vantage point is rolled back and the time starts over. I felt that when I was watching it the replays told the viewer that the vantage point was starting over which made the movie easier to follow.

I just finished watching this movie and I have to say that I liked it. I know that some were put off by the use of flash backs but I thought that it help sell the movie. And the action (though not believable) was there from start to finish. After renting this from Walmart for one dollar, I must say I got a lot of bang for my buck. It more than made up for the movie I lost while also renting AVP. That movie sucked!!!!!

This is a movie that plays with your perceptions and expectations. William Hurt plays the President of the United States in a time of Global Terror. He attends a conference in Spain and is shot. Dennis Quaid plays Thomas Barnes, a Secret Service Agent who is brought back for this event after being shot and nearly losing his life a year earlier.

The first half of the movie shows us the event, rewinds and shows us events from another person's point of view, and does that four times (as I recall). After that we think we have the pieces together and the movie tells its narratives as some of the previous views converge for different reasons. I really don't want to say any more about the plot.

I thought it was a pretty good and entertaining movie. Quaid gives a solid performance as a serious, brave, but understandably tentative agent. William Hurt is good in his smallish role. Forest Whitaker gives the movie an emotional center. Sigourney Weaver, Bruce McGill, Matthew Fox, Edgar Ramirez, Saïd Taghmaoui, Ayelet Zurer, and several others fill out a really good cast.

While not a great film, it is worth seeing.

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI

Good who done it movie. Goes a little fast so you have to pay attention. Good cast of actors.

This movie is different from all movies you've seen before.
It jumps around from each person's point of view,
if you stick with it, you will be greatly rewarded.
Great acting, great action, and "clean"

The plot was well thoughtout and Dennis Quaid and
the other actors did a wonderful job.