Vantage Point

This film would be more than above-average entertainment if it didn't borrow so brutally from all possible action flicks of recent years: a weapon like in The Jackal, quickly edited, dynamic chases like in the Bourne films (the action music was so obvious that for a moment I thought it was a Powell advertisement), a bomb madness like in Kingdom (debris, sound effects, echoes, dirt), and so on. But for forty million dollars, I don't think more could have been done, and the material is squeezed to the maximum. What is disappointing the unrealistic shooting and the somewhat second-rate villain, whose compromise couldn’t be more predictable, and even a moron can see at that moment what the ending will be like. (2008-08-24)

It's perfectly heroic, overwhelmingly pro-American, and predictable in detail. Yet given the ridiculous money spent on it, the director got it moving in a high-octane style that doesn't let up whatsoever. And when you cast Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox, and Edgar Ramirez as uncompromising tough guys with guns in their hands, you can't go wrong. I’m very satisfied and it gets a strong 3 ½ stars from me. I will definitely watch it again, especially given its short runtime. (2009-08-03)

A very energetically filmed thriller where you feel like you’re assembling a jigsaw without the picture on the box. It’s full of surprises. Telling the same story from various points of view is not at all stereotypical and the mode of storytelling often reminds one of Kiefer’s Twenty-four and the Bourne movies will definitely spring to mind during the closing car chase. The actors (perhaps with the exception of the weird-acting Forest Whitaker) give very decent performances. You find yourself crossing fingers for Dennis Quaid right from the beginning and that Matthew Fox is very surprising again. I had a great time. 80% (2008-06-04)

8 perspectives? You don’t say... Paul Greengrass: “Wow, I think I’m having a déjà vu." Screenwriter Barry Levy: “Hey, Director, I finished. I worked really hard on it at the beginning, but then I went at it a bit haywire, you know how it is with tequila. But don’t worry, the big cliché at the finale will cover that up. Why don’t you try a ten-minute car chase through the city? Your the king of your craft, boss, I got to hand it to you." Real American: “Oh, that’s a good movie, evil Spanish people allow terrorism on their soil? So, kill them all!" Spanish Spanish guitar player: “First I would like to appeal to our American amigos not to treat us like terrorists. Why did those evil American filmmakers have to choose our beautiful country to commit such a contemptible act? And I’ll say this much about the music: I wouldn’t play it alone, but it suits movies of this sort perfectly." Akira Kurosawa: “Interesting idea. It reminds me a bit of a story by Akutagawa. That would be worth filming!" Regular 24 viewer: “Good, almost like a double episode of Jack Bauer, the only difference is that the immortal agent is played by a 54-year-old Dennis Quaid. So it ain’t worth watchin’." Nitpicker: “Water! Water! I feel faint, so many hiccups and illogicalities! Take the last shot. A “bug" taxi typical for Mexico City drives past, the camera rises higher and there’s a forcefully grafted-on panorama of Salamanca with a departing CGI chopper. Yuck..." Terrorist: “The beginning is nice and explosive, but it went wrong again. Oooh, missus!" But only one of them can be right. Who? DaViD´82:, of course: “Watch, don’t get bored, finish watching and forget it. Simply a solid and inoffensive piece of popcorn routine." (2008-04-02)

Vantage Point has such dynamic direction that I momentarily forgot about my prejudices toward action movies and even considered giving it five stars. But as the minutes went by, the simplicity of the film started to surface, with the script piling up one cliché after another and logical holes appearing in the plot. The moment when the kidnapped American president bravely started fighting with terrorists ultimately led me to give it a mere three stars. Nevertheless, it's not below average, as the film has a fast pace and offers a number of thrilling scenes. Overall impression: 65%. (2009-04-24)