VANTAGE POINT
Pete Travis Written by: Barry Levy Starring: Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox, Forest Whitaker, William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver,Bruce McGill, Edgar Ramirez, Said Taghmaoui, Ayelet Zurer, Zoe Saldana, Eduardo Noriega Distributed by Sony Pictures Film is out NOW in the U.S. and on March 7th in the U.K. Review by Oliver Pfeiffer
rating: 1.5
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Talk about best laid plans. Vantage Point marks British director Pete Travis' overblown Hollywood thriller follow up to his critically acclaimed probing political drama Omagh, (which centered on the aftermath of the IRA bombing). Ambitiously billed by the director as a throw back to Akira Kurosawa's seminal masterpiece Rashomon- in terms of its unveiling of multiple character projections of the same narrative event - Vantage Point falls magnificently flat even as a half descent, unflinching nail-biting thriller in the mould of other dumbed down claustrophobic multi-media enthused thrillers such as Panic Room, Phone Booth or Cellular. The fact that the director has managed to summon an impressive award-winning cast that encapsulates the talents of Oscar winner Forest Whitaker (as a mild mannered observer with convenient camera device), weathered character actor William Hurt (as a wholesome president), veteran Dennis Quaid (as a jittery veteran Secret Service Agent), former alien queen Sigourney Weaver (playing a tough TV news producer) and a slew of glossy multicultural TV stars that include the likes of Matthew Fox fromLost, speaks volumes about the potential quality of the proposed concept, notwithstanding the directors past dues as a gritty documentary style feature filmmaker. The trouble is in the plots pretension: The narrative revolves around the attempted assassination of the American President, (played with oozing warm-natured charm by Hurt) during an international 'war on terror' summit at the Plaza Mayor in Salamanca, Spain. This event is then replayed from the various perspectives of surrounding characters, in order for the audience to grasp a deeper knowledge and understanding of the motivations and perpetrators behind the pivotal attack: encouraging them to piece the intricate parts of the puzzle together. This may sound like a potentially provocative proposal, but in practice cant be pulled off effectively enough unless you have an innovative solution to sustain an audiences interest during narrative repetition. Unfortunately Vantage Point doesnt have much up its cinematic sleeves, instead opting for a lazy retread of the opening 23 minutes from various different geographical perspectives, interrupted by the obligatory freeze-frame and then followed by the fast-rewind that is already over familiar from its rather superficial use in Roger Averys youth flickThe Rules of Attraction and (in fast forward) the MTV style murder sequences witnessed in the repetitive Saw series. This might not have mattered if the aesthetic vitals had the audacious virtuoso mastery of a Brian De Palma for instance. It would at least make for persuasive voyeuristic indulgence, (imagine what they could have done had they employed 24 style split-screen?). But instead its done in such a strained, monotonous fast-cutting way that youre just screaming to take control of the remote. If this wasnt bad enough we also get a dumbed down political agenda, (strange for a director of political triumphs), patronizing dialogue and blasé and cliché ridden narrative consequences that appear closer suited to a 1970s disaster movie. The character reveals also serve to demean audiences intelligence making this appear more reminiscent of a compacted season of 24 than a stand alone feature in its own right, with the squirming American machismo more suited to a Rambo sequel. The sole distinguishing factor that distances itself from all this sub-24 style shenanigans is an exhilarating car chase that involves Dennis Quaids Secret Service agent endlessly pursing the possible perpetrators in a Vauxhall Astra through the towns narrow streets and walkways. The editing during this extended sequence (courtesy of Casino Royale's Stuart Baird) is persuasively adrenaline-inducing and fast-cut to such a pace as to prove appropriately disorientating. Its the only notable highlight in an otherwise lukewarm forgettable conspiracy thriller, which proves that Hollywood doesnt have the confidence to branch out into new territory just retooling and rehearsing burnt-out ideas in an attempt to match previous box office potential. Rashomon this is not.