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Bookmark this pageVantage Point (2008)
Director: Pete Travis
Movie review
From Time Out London
Salamanca, Spain, and crowds jostle in the main square as secret service agents usher in the US President (William Hurt) to make an address before an international conference negotiates a new accord on the war on terror. As a TV news director (Sigourney Weaver) marshals her cameras, a shot rings out and the leader of the free world crumples to the ground. What just happened? Let’s rewind… before you can say ‘Rashomon’ we’re seeing the same events from another perspective (the Presidential POV), then another (veteran bodyguard Dennis Quaid), and even, eventually, from the vantage point of the perpetrators. Sounds fascinatingly ambiguous, no?Well, it might have been if the film had been made 35 years ago, but one simple truth emerges: murderous Arab extremists won’t escape US intelligence forces, not even in a high-speed car-chase down narrow side-streets lined with café tables.
Although mounted with no little efficiency by director Pete Travis (who previously made the TV drama-doc ‘Omagh’), the narrative enterprise actually hides a one-dimensional world view, with civilian casualties mere background set dressing. Crass indeed.
Author: Trevor Johnston
Time Out London Issue 1959 March 5 – 11 2008
User reviews of this film
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- mildred said...
- Posted on Apr 07 2008 12:38 my name is mildred and i liked horton hears a who, i very very very much like elephants i enjoyed it when horton watches the president get shot over and over again from different angles like a monkey.
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- derick said...
- Posted on Apr 07 2008 12:32 i thought the whole film was utterly pointless and i believe that the director rushed the story and didn't show the shooting enough. Yes i like shooting it is my friend
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- spongebobsquare said...
- Posted on Apr 06 2008 18:48 This film was very predictable and far fetched (like when the body guards car got smashed with him in it and he survived) but worth watching. Got a bit boring after they re played it over and over again showing different peoples points of view. I would say that this film is average. Relieved that the little girl survived thanks to that man wayhay
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- in hell i rock !! said...
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Posted on Apr 04 2008 21:54
ITs soo kool it rocked for the first 10min but got slightly boring, there was soo many obvious twists and turns.
2/5 - Report as inappropriate
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- david said...
- Posted on Apr 04 2008 12:19 I would say this is an enjoyable film, at the start i was pessimistic, half expecting the film to be repetitive and turn out to be a disappointment but i was happily surprised. This film was an enjoyable experience if you take it for what it is, a light watch. However disappointing end from all the build up.
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- ruby said...
- Posted on Apr 03 2008 23:06 although totally predictable,and if you dont mind dumbing down for an hour and a half then yeah quite enjoyable
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- liz said...
- Posted on Apr 02 2008 21:27 its a really interesting concept, lots of twists and turns and actually the first hour was brilliant but sadly the final (ridiculous) car chase, the thinly veiled moral lesson and the frankly embarrassingly trite ending meant i left feeling patronised and let down. disappointing. x
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- Katy said...
- Posted on Apr 02 2008 18:22 Do American's really think they have 'hero' for a president (as this film would seem to suggest) ? The reality - a 'war hungry' 'gun hoe' hick who seems intent on blowing up any country with access to the resources required to fuel America's greed. Yet again, here we have another film designed to distract you from the painful truth whilst painting terrorists as men in tea towels without brains. ZZZZZZZZzzzzz. Reality check please!
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- hERD said...
- Posted on Apr 02 2008 17:23 wow, u people really r so sad for spending so much time writing all that stuff, just watch a movie for something to do and stop going there with a chip on ur shoulder!!its a movie!!!
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- meera said...
- Posted on Apr 02 2008 11:50 wow i loved it was so cool
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- osman said...
- Posted on Mar 29 2008 19:07 this is a fantastic movie, don't know why this site gave it a bad review should watch it
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- Amario said...
- Posted on Mar 29 2008 12:12 It is a brilliant film and in my opinion, its a serious contender for the best action flim ever! i dont know why this site gave such a bad review, they should not be harsh the flashbacks worked very well!
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- R U Mad said...
- Posted on Mar 28 2008 18:24 If you're thinking of going to see this film, do! I implore you ignore the comments made by the majority on this site. This film IS American yes, and in the current political climate it is FASHIONABLE to slate anything from the USA, particulary if it involves the T word....I am half English half Turkish with a very keen interest in middle Eastern politics and history, this does not mean I can't enjoy a fairly inteligent action film - which is exactly what I did. I thought Quaid and Whitikar were both great by the way....
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- jamie100786 said...
- Posted on Mar 28 2008 17:33 why all the really bad reviews. this film is not that bad its quite entertaining have to admit the ending is very american but why does everyone just seem to want to slag off america it just a film
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- Dave said...
- Posted on Mar 27 2008 21:18 Very very bad movie: we see 7 different view yet all I see is one American view of the world
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Cast & crew
Director: Pete Travis
Cast: Dennis Quaid, Forest Whitaker, William Hurt, Matthew Fox, Eduardo Noriega, Zoë Saldana, Ayelet Zurer, Sigourney Weaver, James LeGros full cast
Duration: 90 mins
US Release: Feb 22 2008
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