Joe Barber Reviews “VANTAGE POINT”

by Joe Barber on Feb.23, 2008, under Joe Barber's Movie Reviews

I have good news for those of you who feel that the recently ended writer’s strike has robbed you of another season on “24.” You can get your mile-a-minute action fix by heading to the movie theater and seeing “Vantage Point.” This solidly crafted thriller boasts a strong cast and a story telling device that keeps you engaged and involved.

The story begins in Spain, where U.S. President Ashton (William Hurt) has arrived to finalize negotiations on a strong new anti-terrorism pact. Returning to the President’s Secret Service detail that day is agent Thomas Barnes (Dennis Quaid.) Barnes took a bullet while preventing an assassination attempt several months earlier.

Just as the President comes to the podium in a plaza to speak, an explosion rocks the area. Seconds later, a shot is fired at the President. While agents hustle to get him out of the area, Barnes and other search for the shooter. A few minutes later, a second, more powerful blast erupts, leaving everything in chaos. But. . .is everything we’ve seen what actually happened or do we only know part of the story ?

Director Pete Travis and screenwriter Barry Levy have clearly been inspired by by the pace, editing and juggled multiple plotlines of “24. They repeatedly take us back to 12 noon, the time of the start of the speech, from a variety of different angles to help us distinguish what’s happening. Emulating the work of a talented magician, all we need to see is in plain sight, we need to look past the obvious distractions to see it.

It might be easy, with all the fancy footwork provided by the editing and stunbt work, to ignore the strong acting being done here, but that would be a mistake. Quaid endows Barnes with a complexity and sensitivity that makes him more than a poor man’s Jack Bauer. Forest Whitaker does a nice job as a tourist who video provides the first important clue in the plot, while also showinfg a streak of decency and humanity that also plays a role. Hurt avoids his customary scenery chewing for a small, but significant turn as a leader with real conviction and courage. The largely unknown (to American audiences) Spanish actors acquit themselves very well.

Though the back and forth in time story device wears a bit thin after a while and you may find yourself quibbling about a coincidence here and there, “Vantage Point” definitely delivers the kind of edge of the seat jolts action junkies crave.