Seen on: February 22, 2008

The players: Director: Pete Travis, Writer: Barry Levy, Cast: Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox, Forest Whitaker, Sigourney Weaver, William Hurt, Edgar Ramirez, Zoe Saldana

Facts of interest: Pete Travis also directed "Omagh."

The plot: Eight strangers with different points of view get tangled up in an assassination attempt of the president of the United States.

Our quick thoughts: Over the past months, the incredibly exciting theatrical trailer for “Vantage Point” made the film look like a sophisticated action extravaganza with an innovative story line and a top-notch cast. Now that it is in release, you’ll be surprised to discover that the puzzle is a little too easy to crack. But as far as the level of action is concerned, “Point” scores big time. Set during an anti-terrorism summit in Spain, the film follows eight strangers as they get tangled up in an assassination attempt on the president of the United States.

For the first hour or so, the movie cleverly jumps back and forth in time to give the audience the opportunity to discover the truth behind the attack from several points of view. I understand a lot can go wrong with the execution of such an innovative concept, but director Pete Travis and his editing crew did a great job at filming this part of the movie from many angles. I carefully looked for errors in the final cut but couldn’t find any.

Once the truth is finally revealed, however, non-stop superficial action takes over and compromises the second part of the film. Instead of surprising its viewers with twists and a subtle conclusion to the story, the plot turns into a simplistic mess lacking the degree of creativity that boosted the first hour. Besides hot pursuits, gunfights and explosions, there’s indeed not much to look out for in “Vantage Point.” Even the film’s political message is too shallow to leave an impression.

With hard-core action dominating the plot, the cast obviously lacks the necessary time to build significant performances. Dennis Quaid does a nice job as lead character and hero of the film, but I wish we could have seen more of him. Forest Whitaker plays a credible enough American tourist caught up in the turmoil, and William Hurt delivers a sincere, if maybe too good-hearted president. Performances by Matthew Fox, Sigourney Weaver and Zoe Saldana go unnoticed.

Freaky quote: "Control is compromised!" – Dennis Quaid

The final word: Despite flawed screenwriting by Barry Levy, “Vantage Point” is a breathtaking experience for diehard action fans. The 90 minutes pass in a rush, and the film features enough nail-biting sequences to please everyone wanting to pay a couple of bucks to see some badass stunts. The absence of a solid intrigue is apparent, but the level of entertainment is so high and efficient, it’s hard not to enjoy this flick. Heck, I wouldn’t even mind watching it all over again. Rewind, please.