Vantage Point Review

After sitting through an hour and a half of compelling but ultimately shallow film I find myself wishing that director, Pete Travis, would have taken this brilliant concept for a film and, instead of creating a hybrid from influences of other films, stamped its own individual mark. 

All too often you are reminded of the Bourne trilogy, constant action, that budget cinema frenzied camera and the way the film was shot, especially the car chase scene, so much a part of all three Bourne films.  However for all its criticism it is a fresh and different take on movie making in Hollywood, albeit it’s still a bit to rounded and “glossy” to be considered a not-so-Hollywood thriller.  Had this film been given to Greengrass or one of the Scott’s, you could have expected a very individualistic feel to be put on the film.  

There are some stand out performances, most noticeably Whitaker’s character Howard, an American tourist who so happens to capture the assassination on his HD cam, nice bit of kit.  Whitaker plays this role with the kind of intensity we expect from him and while he draws us in with his intrigue and out of place look you always knew what role he would end up playing in the scheme of things.  The only character we really know about is Dennis Quaid’s Thomas Barnes, a special agent with the job of protecting the president, jumped in front of a bullet and is back to serve again.  All very . . . well the same!  It’s this lack of character development and depth that really doesn’t help this film float for an extended period, does it want to be a “glossy” Hollywood film for the masses or a Bourne-like thriller that hooks some and couldn’t give a damn about those who aren’t fans.  It would help if it was told from maybe two less perspectives and the other witnesses got slightly more time to tell their stories and draw us in.  Therefore giving more time to a couple less characters, its what made Bourne so successful, the fact that three films were based mainly around one man on a mission enabling for huge character development.   

All in all a very good film that will have you still thinking 5 hours after the film has finished.   It is definitely worth two or three watches to fully understand everyone persons perspective.  Not quite a film you can totally switch off to but will have you gripped.