Vantage Point

Super

I hate rollercoasters ; basically because their almost always too high off the ground (I'm an acute acrophobic) and way too fast. I did manage to ride one whose elevation wasn't frightening, but unfortunately, the speed was. I've never been on another one since.

Thankfully my fears do not prevail when watching movies of "rollercoaster" caliber- like Vantage Point. It has the virtue of being fast and exciting- redundantly as well as consistently. No matter how you may want to recede to the restroom or even shift a little, the plot and characters will keep you firmly planted in your seat. That is, if you don't suffer from motion sickness like my girlfriend did afterwards.

Out of the 8 main characters whose "vantage points" define the plot, Dennis Quaid's secret service agent Thomas Barnes is probably the closest to being the most central, although the film opens with Sigourney Weaver's Rex Brooks, a GNN news director covering the President's historical anti-terrorist speech in Spain. Her tv crew is quite loyal except for the slightly recalcitrant on- air reporter Angie Jones (Zoe Saldana) stationed inside the crowded pavilion.

If you've seen any of the trailers, you know what's coming, yet the suspense is still a bit chilling. The gala event proceeds rather smoothly. Then suddenly a shot rings out, the President falls from the podium, chaos ensues and a tremendous explosion tears
through the entire platform killing dozens of spectators.

In the sincere tradition of films like Memento and Premonition, these events are seen through the eyes of a completely disparate octet, gradually bringing everything together. Barnes whose just returned to duty a year after taking a bullet for the president;
Brooks, the ever alert news director; Howard (Forrest Whitaker) a family man videotaping everything; Enrique (Eduardo Noriega), a Spanish police officer; Kent Taylor (Matthew Fox), one of Barnes's secret service partners; Javier, a man Enrique's girlfriend Veronica talks to during the ceremony ; Sam (Said Tagjmaoui) who engages Howard in light conversation; and of course, the President himself.

My show's audience grew humorously nauseas at the number of perspectives being thrown at us. You'd see one, then flashback to another. It made you wonder when or if it was going to stop or if the entire movie would be this way. Director Pete Travis salves the monotony by keeping you guessing, inserting an essential piece of the puzzle with each point of view.

The Rashomon style of story telling has been used in countless motion pictures, and scribe Barry levy employs it gracefully despite the seemingly repetitive action. In a cast of thousands, he impels you to care about everyone besides the primaries. And the
storyline is not as confusing as some may anticipate.

That "rollercoaster" feeling I mentioned above hits especially hard during a visce rally charged car chase scene that won't let you catch a breath at any time. Iranian born cinematographer Amir Mokri's use of close-ups and rapid cuts are absolutely mesmerizing - and dizzying. So you may want to refrain from eating until after the movie.