Vantage Point

“Vantage Point” takes an interesting non-chronological approach to storytelling: showing the same series of events from the perspective of different characters. Each time, you learn a little more about the circumstances surrounding the event. However, this gets old after the third time the movie literally re-winds. The central event is the assassination of the US President (William Hurt) at an anti-terrorism summit in Spain. Five perspectives include a news producer (Sigourney Weaver) and her crew covering the summit, secret service agent Thomas Barnes (Dennis Quaid), police officer Enrique (Eduardo Noriega), tourist Howard Lewis (Forest Whitaker), and the President. The sixth and final perspective is that of the assassins and their associates, which answers questions raised in the previous segments and brings the movie to a close. Quaid is effective as a secret service agent who has already taken a bullet for the president as is Hurt, who, at one point, overrides his trigger-happy advisers. (Perhaps in contrast to our current administration?) Whitaker’s role seems superfluous until the end, when he becomes crucial to the resolution of the conflict. However, this conclusion is based on a series of coincidences, which seem a little too contrived. All in all, “Vantage Point” is diverting enough, but you can certainly wait to catch it on cable. (2/25/07)