“Wouldn’t
it be interesting to see life
from several different perspectives?
The action-packed political thriller, Vantage Point, does exactly that.
It’s
also superbly filmed and fast-
paced all the way through to the
satisfyingly tied-up ends!”
THIS TERRIFIC FILM HAS AN ALL-STAR CAST who work extremely well together
to produce a tight, exciting and action-packed political thriller that never
seems to take a breather. They don't come much better than Vantage
Point.
Thomas Barnes (the ever-brilliant Dennis Quaid, who slips neatly into character:
In Good Company, The Day After Tomorrow) is a secret service agent who,
along with the acerbic Kent Taylor (TV heart-throb Matthew Fox: Lost, Smokin'
Aces), is assigned to protect US President Ashton (William Hurt: Into
The Wild) at a counter-terrorism summit in Salamanca, Spain — in the
wake of a recent bombing. The world unites as over 150 countries taking a stand
against violence.
Barnes is a veteran member of the POTUS Secret Service security detail and,
having already taken a bullet for President Ashton, is recovering from a breakdown.
But he is nevertheless ready to spring back into action when the President is
shot twice in an assassination attempt and a bomb goes off — and then another.
Chaos ensues and incongruent characters collide; convincingly involving the
viewer in the lives of the people who witnessed and/or may have taken part in
the act of terrorism.
In the same fifteen-minute period, the film shows the different viewpoints of
a handful of characters before, and in the aftermath of, the terrifying event.
Gradually the shocking truth unfolds — and nobody is above suspicion.
Global Network News television producer Rex Brooks (Sigourney Weaver: Infamous,
Ghostbusters) is issuing directives to cameramen and news anchors —
including the youthful and inexperienced Angie Jones (Zoë Saldana) — when
Barnes notices a curtain twitching in a building that has already been searched.
Close by, Enrique (Eduardo Noriega) sees his girlfriend Veronica (Ayelet Zurer)
in the arms of another man before she ditches the handbag he has just given
her.
The next viewpoint is that of Howard Lewis (Oscar-winning Forest Whitaker: The
Last King Of Scotland), an American tourist there by chance while touring
Spain without his family and who believes he has caught the would-be assassin
on his camcorder. We are also treated to President Ashton's own perspective
and that of the terrorists.
In a similar vein to such action films such as The Bourne Ultimatum and
television hit 24, Vantage Point keeps you on the edge of your
seat as you are riveted to the screen guessing who the good guys — and
the bad guys — really are. There is a stunning, adrenaline-fuelled car
chase and a frenzy of activity as the characters struggle either to escape the
consequences of their actions or find the would-be assassins.
During an interview, Dennis Quaid apparently described Vantage Point as "a Rashomon"
— the 1950 film from Akira Kurosawa, who was a pioneer of this style of
film, about the aftermath of a heinous crime recalled from different viewpoints.
Directed by British filmmaker Peter Travis (Omagh, Henry VIII), the film
also features Edgar Ramirez as Javier, formerly of special forces; Saïd Taghmaoui
as Suarez; Bruce McGill as Phil McCullough, the President's adviser; Richard
T Jones as Holden, a member of the Secret Service security detail during the
summit; James Le Gros as Ted Heinkin; Holt McCallany as Ben Matthews; Leonardo
Nam as Kevin Cross; Dolores Heredia as Marie; and the very sweet Alicia Jaziz
Zapien as Anna, the little girl who walks into danger.
Vantage Point is Written by Barry L Levy, Executive Producer is Callum
Greene, Director of Photography is Amir Mokri and the distinctive music is by
Atli Örvarsson.
• Vantage
Point is now available to buy on DVD, Blu-ray and UMD Video and also to
rent (released 4 August, 2008), courtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
The Blu-ray release includes great interactive features such as a Picture-in-Picture
GPS tracker that allows the viewer to watch two vantage points of this exciting
thriller simultaneously whilst tracking all the listed characters at once on
a GPS map. It's the ultimate interactive movie experience and enables the viewer
to see the various different perspectives at any given time during the film.
Special Features — Commentary With Director Pete Travis | An Inside Perspective
| Plotting An Assassination | Surveillance Tapes | Trailers.
"This terrific film has an all-star cast who work extremely well together to
produce a tight, exciting and action-packed political thriller that never seems
to take a breather. They don't come much better than Vantage Point" —
MotorBar
“Wouldn’t
it be interesting to see life