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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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- David said...
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Posted on Mar 17 2008 12:16
First I must say I enjoyed the movie... the story flows well, acting is good and it's intersting !
I cannot understand the bad reviews it recieve, it's one of the best movies out there at the moment.
In additional, it's a really good post modern movie, showing that there is no one Meta Nartive, but many different naratives, and the role of the media in shaping public opnion, image and "narative"...
It was nice to see that an american movie challanges the normal establishment of the "good" and "bad" and allowed to see another side of the terror groups ... ofcourse the good guys won in the end (and what a wonderful ending...) but I think it was balanced and well thoughts.
Go and see !! - Report as inappropriate
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- Ehsan Hajan said...
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Posted on Mar 17 2008 10:39
After reading the mixed reviews I decided to see the film but going in bracing myself for a dissappointment. I must say I really enjoyed the film and thought it was entertaining and dare I say even funny.
I will recommend seeing it without a doubt. - Report as inappropriate
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- rouGe said...
- Posted on Mar 17 2008 08:30 hmm me and zee went to watch this movie..i chose the movie and now he always tells me he picking a movie next time we go cinima's lol..but anyways yeah was a ok film..not all that..got kinda boring after seeing the scenes again and again..didnt seem to have a propa ending to it either..but yeah its not that bad :S lol
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- iain said...
- Posted on Mar 16 2008 22:36 i had been looking forward to seeing this and i must say i wasn't disappointed. even though i knew roughly what was going to happen in the film beforehand - ie from several viewpoints - there was still some unexpected twists which kept the film moving on nicely. an enjoyable film, without being a classic, i would recommend anyone to go along and see it.
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- pooface said...
- Posted on Mar 15 2008 22:44 great film!!! matthew fox is hot!!!
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- I LOVE FRODO! said...
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Posted on Mar 13 2008 18:03
This film looks gd on da ads, but it has 2 stars!
I haven't SEEN it...but i dunno weather 2...
Oh Yeah!...
FRODO BAGGINS IS SOOO..... HOT! - Report as inappropriate
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- nosey parka said...
- Posted on Mar 13 2008 13:08 what rating is it? (As in pg,12 etc.)
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- j said...
- Posted on Mar 12 2008 23:47 Very well made especially the idea to show the events from different perspectives although I think Forest Whitaker's character was completely useless. It was good till the end which was utterly disappointing considering how the rest of the film was developed. Not worth the cost of a ticket, maybe DVD rental or pirated copy would be better value for money.
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- JAMIE D said...
- Posted on Mar 12 2008 13:19 HAVING READ THE REVIEWS ON THIS SITE, THEN SEEING THE FILM, I MUST SAY I TOTALLY DISAGREE WITH A LOT OF THE OTHER REVIEWS ABOVE. I PERSONALLY LIKED THE WAY THE STORY GRADUALLY UNFOLDED, AS TOLD FROM DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES, REVEALING MORE EACH TIME, THEN BUILDING UP TO THE SECOND HALF, WHERE THE THREADS GRADUALLY COME TOGETHER IN A COHESIVE WAY. IF YOU LIKE GOOD-OLD FASHIONED FILMS, FULL OF ENTERTAINMENT THEN I WOULD ADVISE YOU SEE THIS FILM AND MAKE YOUR OWN MIND UP. IF YOU CANNOT ALLOW FOR A SLIGHT BIT OF HOLLYWOOD LICENSE, AND THE AMERICANS COMING OUT ON TOP AS ALWAYS IN THESE FILMS, YOU WILL PROBABLY DISLIKE THIS FILM, AND NIT-PICK IT AS MUCH AS SOME OF THE OTHER REVIEWERS HAVE DONE. TO SUMMARISE I WOULD SAY THIS FILM HAS A GOOD AMOUNT OF SUSPENSE WITHOUT BEING TOO HEAVY GOING. ENJOY IT!
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- STEVIE B said...
- Posted on Mar 12 2008 12:35 Fanbloodytastic.
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- Kevin said...
- Posted on Mar 11 2008 15:59 The idea of showing the incident from several viewpoints did nothing to enhance the film and it would have been better to have told the story in the conventional way. Indeed , once we had been taken down the irritating route of going over the same time period from different vantage points the film did go into the usual format and there was no real benefit in having sat through the initial hour - it added nothing to the film.
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- Leo said...
- Posted on Mar 10 2008 20:35 I think it's a good piece of work, it might not be a masterpiece, but it was very enterntaining.. I reconmend it..
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- alan said...
- Posted on Mar 10 2008 19:46 really good film go see
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- marius said...
- Posted on Mar 10 2008 10:54 If you like 24 you will like this move...
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- Jordan said...
- Posted on Mar 09 2008 15:49 Forgot to rate it 5 stars for me top class
- Report as inappropriate
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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