Vantage Point

Release Year: 2008

Director: Pete Travis

Review: The 'Rashomon Effect' is a story telling tool named after Akira Kurosawa's film, where a film replays the same events from different subjective view points.  This is essentially the hook in 'Vantage Point'.  Amid political strife the president of the United States is shot while giving a speech at a summit.  We see the same shooting and the immediate aftermath repeatedly from different peoples perspectives, revealing more and more of the ever more convoluted events.

The problem with 'Vantage Point' is that it tries to be to big.  Rather than be content with being a fun thriller, it tries to go ever deeper down the rabbit hole, becoming more and more unbelievable and complex.  Each time the clock is reset back, and we see the events unfold yet again, it just raises more questions.  Rather than be fun, it started to become frustrating.  Director Pete Travis completely lost sight of what the film could be, and instead takes the audience completely out of the experience by making the entire scenario laughably convoluted and ridiculous.  If he had reigned it in just a bit, it could have been a solid political thriller. It has its moments, but ultimately is too chaotic.  If it is going to rely on such a prominent plot device, it has to be used so that it adds to the story, but it only adds to the frustration.
Rating: 3/5