Imagine an episode of 24 where you see the same thing happening over and over again from a different viewpoint. Each time you see a new view, you get an extra piece of information, fleshing out the story, telling you what really happened. A bit like Rashomon. The pitch for Vantage Point is not what is wrong with it. Not completely. The problem with seeing the same thing from a different viewpoint is that, on the whole, you are seeing the same thing over and over again. There might be a few new interesting tidbits to flesh the story out, but realistically, its just repetition. To make it work you will probably need to invest in the characters with each of these viewpoints, and a clever storyline which allows this teasing out.
Vantage Point is 24 meets Rashomon with no interesting characters, a plot so mind-bogglingly stupid that showing it over and over again really does expose its flaws. Look, this Japanese poster makes the 24 rip even more explicit. Its going to be a long lunch. I will now spoil what I remember of the plot, bearing in mind that in this case stopping you seeing this film is in no way spoiling your life.
The President of the USA is in Spain for a public appearance. He gets shot. BUT NO. It turns out its not the President at all but his decoy. Why? Well so that the real President will be taken to the safe house, which turns out not to be safe at all so, via a very complex set of affairs, he gets kidnapped. With me? No, nor was I, even the fifth time I saw it – especially as we throw into the mix traitorous security service guys, some morally torn terrorists and the kid. The film has a kid in it, who is almost constantly in peril, as if the security of the free world was not enough for us to root for the hero (Dennis Quaid showing that Jack Bauer is a character anyone can do*).
To its credit it is an entire series worth of plots of 24 in an hour and a half film. To its discredit it is more like season six of 24 (ie the worst one) and its plots are even sillier. As the film stacks its not insignificant cast against the perils of a half baked script which mistakes poorly shot action for interest, the only loser is the viewer. I am all for varied viewpoints, and stabs at interesting narrative effects. In the service of a film which believes a plot twist and revelation every eight minutes will not in anyway undermine the viewing sensation, I have a lot less time.
*OK, Robert Carlyle cannot do Jack Bauer. In the 24 TV movie Redemption Bobby Carlyle plays a bad-ass mate of Jack’s who at one point gets to deliver a Bauer “Dammit”. He does it twice and fluffs it.
Dammit Pete (I had to get that in somehow!)
Bauer isn’t a character that anyone can do, as Dennis Quaid shows with his particularly uninspired attempt. Quaid’s just not believable enough.
And you know, whilst this was clearly a poor film, I watched it on my flight back from Miami (having exhausted all the other in-flight movies worth watching), and it was actually not the worst way to pass two and a bit hours.
point of order: the difft viewpoints in rashomon cannot be added up to a single uncontradictory story (this is kind of the point of rashomon)
But that’s the point here Mark. Vantage Point seems to believe that its different points of view can be coalesced into a single narrative because they aren’t actually points of view rather than different camera angles with a little bit more of the story rationed out. Basically Vantage Point would be a better movie if they just used the various viewpoints in a conventional linear narrative as the multiple viewpoints (and repetition) add nothing qualitative to the films effect except boredom in revisiting the same events from a slightly different angle.
Ben. I’d have slept.
[…] The movie has the child in it, who is roughly all the time in peril, as if the confidence of the giveaway universe was not sufficient for us to base for the favourite ( Dennis Quaid display which Jack Bauer is the impression any one can do*). … Original post: My 10 Worst Films Of 2008: 5: Vantage Point | FreakyTrigger […]
I can see that it was the worst year in the life of the Hollywood. A total of the 10 worst films went into the dust which cause problem as resume help reviews mentioned that people are inventing some serious kind of movies that years which went into the dustbin.
That the very thing I had advanced by and by was that as individuals we are such a lot of something very similar, and simultaneously, so Hibiki 21 Year unique model, when I go to a Rotary Club meeting I know precisely exact thing is going on the grounds that it is something very similar, but it is in a language that I don’t have any idea, and third.