Vantage Point

Employing a Rashomon-type narrative style, director Pete Travis' Vantage Point presents the assassination of an American president from several characters' points of view, each of whom add another piece to the expanding puzzle in this rewind/replay thriller. Attending a global war-on-terror summit in Spain, President Ashton (William Hurt)—accompanied by veteran Secret Service agents Thomas Barnes (Dennis Quaid) and Kent Taylor (Matthew Fox)—is delivering a speech in a crowded outdoor plaza when television news crews capture footage of him being shot, after which the area is rocked by chaos-inducing explosions. Later, examining a home video of the president's appearance made by American tourist Howard Lewis (Forest Whitaker), Barnes spots something that may turn out to be a vital clue in the investigation, which takes Barnes and Taylor through the streets of Salamanca in pursuit of the mastermind behind the attack. Unfortunately, however, we are forced to see the same events unfold five or six times—albeit from different perspectives—which is bound to make most viewers a bit restive. Still, this is a decent twisty-turny popcorn flick, overall, and should be considered a strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary with director Pete Travis, “An Inside Perspective” cast and crew interviews (27 min.), production featurettes on “Plotting an Assassination” (16 min.) and “Coordinating Chaos” (8 min.), a brief “Surveillance Tapes” outtake, trailers, and a bonus digital copy of the film. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is a “Vantage Viewer” GPS tracker that lets viewers follow each character's location and vantage point throughout the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for an okay thriller.] (E. Hulse)