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.
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