I mentioned Vantage Point back in January after I’d seen the trailer. I hate saying it, but trailers can be so misleading!
The film I saw advertised in the trailer was very different from the one that I went to see earlier this evening.
The storyline of Vantage Point is quite simple, yet ever so intriguing.
The US president is in Salamanca for an important meeting and is to give a speech in the main square of the city when he is shot.
The film starts with this basic plotline.
It then goes on to examine the events leading up to the shooting from the “vantage point” of several key characters.
The concept of doing this is really nice and had a lot of potential. It just simply failed to deliver on a number of levels.
To start with the film has a fantastic cast, but you are left with the distinct impression that the director was too much in awe of the actors to actually make use of their talent.
If you take Sigourney Weaver as a prime example. Weaver has played the lead role in films that will go down in cinema history, such as the Alien quadrilogy (admittedly only the first two were worth watching, but that’s not pertinent).
Do we get to see Weaver in a lead role? No. She’s playing a secondary role which is very much sidelined and could have just as easily been played by a newcomer. Why waste her talent?
What about Forrest Whittaker? While he does get a bit more camera time he’s also wasted.
Eduardo Noriega? A fantastic Spanish actor. But you won’t get to see him shine here. You’ll need to grab a copy of “Tesis” or “Abre los Ojos” if you want that.
And what about Quaid? He may not be my favourite actor, but he’s able to play a role with a bit more depth than that which he was given here.
Hollywood seems to think we’re all dumb or maybe it’s simply afraid to admit that we might be some way intelligent. While the cinematic device of the multiple vantage points had lots of potential you can almost hear a producer yelling “dumb it down”.
My advice? Wait until it comes out on DVD, but don’t buy a copy. Borrow one.
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