Vantage Point carries the tag line: 8 strangers, 8 points of view, 1 truth. Set in a picturesque Mexican city, it is an action drama thriller that details a presidential assassination plot. The movie topped the weekend box office, taking in $24 million.
The star studded cast includes William Hurt as the president, Dennis Quaid and Matthew Fox as secret service agents, Forest Whitaker as a camera toting American tourist. Sigourney Weaver works for a major television network and is filming a rally for the Mexican and American presidents. The duo are set to deliver speeches in front of a flag waving crowd in a huge open air square amid picturesque scenery of the city.
The premise is that Dennis Quaid’s character has just returned to his secret service duties after being shot in a previous assassination attempt on his boss, the President. His fellow agents are wary of his ability to perform his duties and he looks like he’s not sure about it himself.
We are treated (might be the wrong word) to an series of events that last a very short period of time but get replayed over and over and over again. Each time we are seeing it through the eyes of a different person. With each roll back to 11:59am, the scene begins anew, with more insight into the plot and involvement of our cast of characters.
Forest Whitaker films the entire event with his small handheld video camera, and ends up getting pulled into the chase. His performance is perhaps the most compelling and believable as the innocent bystander who gets swept up in the pursuit, directly on the heels of the secret service.
There is an incredible car chase scene that defies all logic but is guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat as the good guys pursue the bad ones.
Some of the plot seems trumped up but it is still a good way to spend an hour and forty minutes. Check out the trailer below.