A good story has more than one way to tell it; and different people see the exact same event differently. Because of that, there are several vantage points and activities witnessed in the span of only fifteen minutes. Or so Director Pete Travis leads us to believe in his latest movie new on DVD, "Vantage Point."
In Spain, President Ashton (William Hurt) of the United States is attending an ambitions anti-terrorism summit when he is suddenly shot in the middle of a crowded quad.
Following the shooting, a bomb goes off outside the plaza and under the podium. The events to follow and what really happened all unravel as audiences relive the incident over and over again through the eyes of eight different people, including Secret Service agent Thomas Barnes (Dennis Quaid), the media, the innocent bystander Howard (Forest Whitaker), and the terrorists themselves. Each perspective gives audiences one more clue to what's going on. While each story reveals a little piece of the entire picture, it also holds off on the overall mystery. In this movie, nobody has all the answers. It takes a combination of all eight perspectives to uncover the one truth. Besides being a powerful story and executed amazingly well, "Vantage Point" also holds your attention with its DVD extras. "Vantage Point" has what so many other films need: outtakes. Though it's not much, and mostly a joke on the director's part, the thought was still appreciated. The clip runs less than a minute.
The feature "Plotting an Assassination" interviews the cast and crew to dig a little deeper into the background of the characters and their motivations. The explanations some actors gave for their character actually smoothed over questions on some of the actions taken in the movie. Running 16 minutes, it discusses the interconnection between different characters and their place in the overall story. "An Inside Perspective," 27 minutes long, covers more of what happened on set. It covers the many levels of Quaid's character and filming in the midst of troublesome weather. The feature also dabs into the musical score of the film and how the movie's shooting made the most out of the concept of different perspectives. "Coordination Chaos," the stunt featurette, looks at all of the stunt work done in the film. Running 7 minutes long, the clip includes how the explosions in the square were recorded and the techniques used in the car chase scene. The final extra is a commentary with director Pete Travis.
Available in stores, "Vantage Point" is rated PG-13 for sequences of intense violence and action, some disturbing images and brief strong language. The film runs 90 minutes even, with less than 40 minutes of bonus material.
