Review of Vantage Point (2008) by Kyle B — 03 Jan 2012

I was fortunate enough to catch an advance screening last night (Thank you Sung!) and despite what others are calling a mediocre or ridiculous thriller, I found quite entertaining. The film stars Dennis Quaid, Lost's Matthew Fox, William Hurt as the American President along with Forest Whitaker and Sigourney Weaver.

The film literally takes place over the course of 20 minutes give or take, a very interesting concept. The film begins with an explosion, no pun intended, and an assassination attempt on the President, the film then follows individual characters while understanding their involvement in the overall story, then the film 'rewinds' in sorts then follows another character until the climax of the end where every thing is wrapped up.

Yes the script leaves a few open ends which weaken the overall story, but the acting however was fine. During our screening, the audience laughed every time the film 'rewound' all I can figure is that people just cannot appreciate a film that doesn't fit your typical chronological order, all I can say to them is stay clear of Memento or the Saw franchise, and stick to Hot Rod.

The flashbacks do get a little repetitive, but in the end serve to add up to a few decent twists. Do you need to be a super complicated thriller lover to enjoy this film? No. Simply sit down this opening weekend and enjoy this film as an interesting thriller/action flick that breaks the mold and dares something new, which I will almost always applaud.

Definitely worth a see when it hits theatres this Friday.