Vantage Point (Single-Disc Edition) |  | Director: Pete Travis
Actors: Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox, Forest Whitaker, Bruce McGill, Edgar Ramirez
Studio: Sony Pictures
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.94
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Rating:  174 reviews
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), Cantonese (Subtitled), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), Korean (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Dubbed), Spanish (Dubbed)
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Region: 99
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 90 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: COLD21616D
UPC: 043396216167
EAN: 0043396216167
Theatrical Release Date: February 22, 2008
Release Date: July 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Genre: Feature Film-Action/Adventure
Rating: PG13
Release Date: 1-JUL-2008
Media Type: DVD
Vantage Point, which aspires to be a cunningly twisted thriller, comes equipped with plenty of hurtling action, handheld camerawork, what-was-that? editing, and a plot that has multiple, contradictory agendas writhing like a nest of snakes. It's all set a-boil within a few blocks of a town square in Spain where a U.S. President is targeted for assassination. Although the movie lasts 90 minutes, the events it depicts are mostly over with in a quarter-hour or so--but seen, rewound, and reseen from half a dozen different (you guessed it) vantage points. The first line in the credits reads "Original Film," apparently the name of the production company. "Gimmick Movie" would be more accurate; the opening reel, effectively jolting, affords an initial overview of the events through the eyes, lenses, monitors, and dueling sensibilities of a TV news producer (Sigourney Weaver), her activist-minded reporter (Zoe Saldana) and crew. Everybody's in Salamanca (actually, Mexico City) for the start of an international conference to reaffirm Arab-Western commitment to the fight against terrorism. Terrorism, of course, sees this as an ideal moment to break out. As gunshots and explosions reduce everything to chaos, the clock is reset to zero and we proceed to revisit the scene as experienced by several Secret Service agents (namely Dennis Quaid and Matthew Fox), an American tourist with camcorder (Forest Whitaker), sundry locals--including three who may be caught up in a love triangle or a conspiracy or both--and even the President himself (William Hurt).
For a while, this is mildly diverting: that guy, or that gesture, so sinister when glimpsed across the plaza in one run-through, now appears harmless in close-up--or vice versa. But there's no real ambiguity (so stop with the careless comparisons to Kurosawa's Rashomon)--this is a shell game in which the peas aren't worth tracking. Despite decent actors, the characters might as well be holograms (although poor Forest Whitaker is saddled with "motivation" of surpassing sappiness), and the casting telegraphs several twists: one redoubtable good guy practically gives a wink-wink, nudge-nudge that he's really bad, etc. The movie declines to specify which nutjob philosophy the terrorists espouse, and their numbers are multi-ethnic. There's also a laborious suggestion that they have bloodthirsty, reactionary counterparts among the President's inner circle, which perhaps qualifies as redeeming socio-political comment and prompts a meaningless declaration of deep meaning from the Prez. The whole megilleh finally comes down to an extended car chase through impassably claustrophobic streets that would mark a lurch into unintentional self-parody--if only that point hadn't been passed a couple of rewinds earlier. --Richard T. Jameson
Stills from Vantage Point (click for larger image)
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 100
 Interesting Premise, Mediocre Film March 5, 2010
lmacbeth08 (U.S.)
When I heard about the premise of this film, I thought it sounded interesting and ambitious: the same exciting moment in time as seen from several different points of view. The American president gets assasinated while preparing to give a speech in a public square in Spain. The same half hour or so is seen through the eyes of a news producer (Sigourney Weaver) and her reporter, a Secret Service Agent (Dennis Quaid), an onlooker (Forrest Whitaker) in the crowd assembled to watch the speech, and several of the people involved in plotting to kill the president. Because of all the intense action and different points of view, we rarely see exactly the same thing, so the film isn't boring at all. But there are several aspects of the movie that are very far-fetched. (I can't say what without putting spoilers into the review, so please take my word on this)! However the thing that really bothered me about this is that we spend half the movie watching the bad guys, and we never really understand any of their motivation for their actions. For instance, after shooting the president, there are two explosions near his podium that really only harm the onlookers. Even at the end of the movie, there's only one line that even attempts to explain the wherefores of all that we've just watched, so for me the film is really unsatisfying. Its saving graces are the well done action sequences and the performances of Dennis Quaid and Forrest Whitaker, as well as one of the good guys who's been roped into being one of the assassins by the kidnapping of a family member - again, far fetched.
If you like action movies with very little heart, or you're a big fan of Dennis Quaid or Forrest Whitaker, buy the movie. Otherwise, I can't really recommend it. The aforementioned fine performances are the only thing that brought this above a two star review from me.
 Vantage Point January 4, 2010
Arnita D. Brown (USA)
Thomas Barnes and Kent Taylor are two Secret Service agents assigned to protect President Ashton at a landmark summit on the global war on terror. When President Ashton is shot moments after his arrival in Spain, chaos ensues and disparate lives collide in the hunt for the assassin. In the crowd is Howard Lewis, an American tourist who thinks he's captured the shooter on his camcorder while videotaping the event for his kids back home. Also there is American TV news producer Rex Brooks, relaying the historic event to millions of TV viewers across the globe. As they and others reveal their stories, the pieces of the puzzle will fall into place - and it will become apparent that shocking motivations lurk just beneath the surface. This movie is clever, and action packed, never a dull moment. Definitely worth while seeing.
What's happening now! December 29, 2009
Suzanne A. Browning (Rathdrum, Idaho USA)
Great movie! Dennis Quaid is super. This movie shows how many people see different things from their vantage point. It also gives you an inside look as to how terrorists or any terror group works to get their job done, even to die to get their job done. Although this is fiction, there are many possiblities that could be true. The movie gives you something to think about and to be alert and aware of your surroundings.
 Vantage Point December 15, 2009
Judi J. Housley (Elko, NV, US)
This is the second time I have purchased this DVD from Amazon, and we still cannot play it. We have had no problems with any other movies/DVD's...only this one. It is a puzzle to us. We will have to (again) return it. The first time, it was from another seller through Amazon, and we assumed that returning that one and receiving a different one through Amazon would be better. Not so. We are now wondering how many others have had problems with this particular movie????
 Good plot, action. Something missing ! November 20, 2009
Brice L. Korte (Summerdale, Al.)
I liked the film, but when it was all over, I felt something somehow was missing !!
Showing reviews 1-5 of 100
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