Official Synopsis:
During an historic counter-terrorism summit in Spain, the President of the United States is struck down by an assassin's bullet. Eight strangers have a perfect view of the kill, but what did they really see? As the minutes leading up to the fatal shot are replayed through the eyes of each eyewitness, the reality of the assassination takes shape. But just when you think you know the answer, the shattering final truth is revealed. Vantage Point is a mindbending political action-thriller starring Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox, Academy Award Winner Forest Whitaker (Best Actor 2006, The Last King Of Scotland), with Sigourney Weaver and Academy Award winner William Hurt (Best Actor 1985, Kiss Of The Spider Woman).

  
Our Take:
How do you take a movie with almost no plot and no character development and turn it into a hit? Tell the same story six times and keep your running time under 90 minutes! How do you do all that and make it a highly entertaining action vehicle? I have no idea, but somehow the filmmakers behind Vantage Point managed to pull it off.

The film doesn’t really hold up to scrutiny. The bad guys have absolutely no motivations, the characters are all straight-from-the-cookie-cuttter archetypes, and there’s a sense of un-believability to the whole affair. However, by telling the same story multiple times from various points of view and filling it with explosions and chase scenes, Vantage Point manages to be an exciting popcorn film. The action sequences are intense, the film keeps you guessing until the end, and Dennis Quaid anchors the film in top form (as always) as secret service agent Thomas Barnes.

With each retelling of the events of the film, you get answers to some questions while finding yourself asking new questions. This device could get tiresome if it wasn’t for the film’s brief running time; you never have a chance to get bored because everything moves so quickly. By the time it’s all over and all the puzzle pieces are revealed, you find yourself satisfied, even if not overwhelmingly so.

Audio & Video:
The only complaint I have about the stunning transfer on Vantage Point is that there are a very few scenes that appear slightly washed out. They only last a couple of seconds each, so overall they don’t detract, but I had to mention them. Other than that, however, this is one amazing-looking film on Blu-ray. Detail levels are ridiculously impressive; the numerous overhead shots of the crowd of thousands that anchor most of the story segments are simply spectacular. You can almost count each person individually. Colors pop right off the screen as well; red and yellow are prevalent throughout the film and they stand out nicely. Earth and flesh tones are reproduced accurately and the print is devoid of any debris or blemishes. Beautiful.

The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Surround soundtrack is equally as impressive. This is a film where all the action takes place right inside a hugely crowded public arena, and this mix makes you feel as if you are right there in the middle of it. Despite excellent surround usage and stereo separation, the dialogue never gets lost in the mix. The low end is solid, and the numerous explosions and gunshots that we hear have a really firm punch to them. This is a very nice effort from Sony.

Extra Features:
The Vantage Point Blu-ray includes a handful of special features, including some that are exclusive to the Blu-ray.

Blu-ray Exclusive Features:

* Vantage Viewer: GPS Tracker – Watch the film with a GPS tracker that allows you to see where all of the characters are throughout the course of the movie. Not something I would watch on first viewing as it might ruin some of the surprises, but a neat little addition for repeat viewings.

* BD-Live (Blu-ray profile 2.0) Enabled - Currently there are two features available through BD Live:

- Trick Geography – Focuses on the location of the shoot.

- Enhancing the View -  More special effects secrets, focusing on the impressive crowd shots..

Standard Extras:

* Surveillance Tapes: Outtakes – A quick gag take.
* An Inside Perspective: Interviews With The Cast And Crew (26 minutes) – A fairly run-of-the-mill making-of feature.
* Plotting An Assassination (16 minutes) – A look at the multi-perspective approach the film takes.
* Coordinating Chaos: Stunt Featurette (7 minutes) – A stunts and special effects featurette.
* Commentary With Director Peter Travis.

Conclusion:
Vantage Point is easily forgettable and is most likely a watch-once kind of film. However, it’s definitely worth seeing as it’s a lot of fun, filled with intense action and a puzzle-like quality, and over quickly. Sometimes all I want is to be entertained and not have to think too much, and Vantage Point fits that bill nicely.

Overall Picture:
Movie: B+
Video: A

Audio: A

Extras: B+

- Mike Spring

Editor