From My Perspective

First, the good news about Vantage Point: despite what you may think, the trailer doesn't give away the entire plot. So that's a nice surprise. And also, there is about 20 minutes of a good movie here. The problem is that the film's main gimmick of watching a presidential assassination from multiple points of view grows really tiresome really fast. Just when the film starts to pick up momentum and you want to see what will happen next, you're rewinded back to the same starting point only to watch the same scene unfold again. And again. And it's not like every replaying adds a new layer to the story. Rather, you just meet someone else who was there. This isn't Rashomon. When, at about an hour into the movie, the story begins again and then keeps on going, that's when the action really kicks into gear and it gets pretty exciting, especially during a fast-paced car chase through the streets of Salamanca, Spain. But there's some lame dialogue, and the impressive cast of actors (including Forest Whitaker, William Hurt, Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox, and Sigourney Weaver) is pretty much left high and dry. Weaver in particular gets introduced first and then basically disappears. Wish I could recommend this movie; I actually liked the trailer and had high hopes. Alas, it's another waste of 90 minutes. I give Vantage Point a C-.