Vantage Point (2008)
Action, Crime, Drama |.
Vantage Point is a American political action thriller film directed by Pete Travis and written by Barry L. Levy. The story focuses on an assassination attempt on the President of the United States, as seen from the various vantage points of different characters. Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox, Forest Whitaker, William Hurt and Sigourney Weaver star in principal roles.
The film is often compared, unfavorably, to Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon, which also employed storytelling through multiple perspectives. Rashomon used the multiple perspectives to question the possibility of truth, in a process called the Rashomon effect; in contrast, Vantage Point recounts a series of events which are re-enacted from several different perspectives and viewpoints to reveal a truthful account of what happened. Vantage Point also explores kidnapping, assassination and terrorism.
In Salamanca, Spain, an assassination attempt on U.S. President Henry Ashton unfolds from several different vantage points.
GNN producer Rex Brooks directs news coverage from a mobile television studio as the president arrives. The mayor of Salamanca introduces the president, who is shot twice as he reaches the podium, soon followed by an explosion outside the plaza. Moments later, a secondary explosion at the podium kills and injures numerous people.
Before the president takes the stage, Secret Service agent Thomas Barnes notices a curtain fluttering in an allegedly vacated building, and observes American tourist Howard Lewis filming the audience. After the president is shot, Barnes tackles a man named Enrique rushing to the podium. Following the second explosion, Barnes barges into the GNN studio to view their footage. He receives a call from Taylor, who reports he is pursuing the suspected assassin, then is startled by an image from GNN’s live feed.
Director: Pete Travis
Writer: Barry L. Levy
Stars: Dennis Quaid, Forest Whitaker, Matthew Fox, Bruce McGill, Edgar Ramírez, Saïd Taghmaoui, Ayelet Zurer
► Cast:
| Dennis Quaid | … | Thomas Barnes |
| Matthew Fox | … | Kent Taylor |
| Forest Whitaker | … | Howard Lewis |
| Bruce McGill | … | Phil McCullough |
| Edgar Ramírez | … | Javier (as Edgar Ramirez) |
| Saïd Taghmaoui | … | Suarez |
| Ayelet Zurer | … | Veronica |
| Zoe Saldana | … | Angie Jones (as Zoë Saldana) |
| Sigourney Weaver | … | Rex Brooks |
| William Hurt | … | President Ashton |
| James Le Gros | … | Ted Heinkin |
| Eduardo Noriega | … | Enrique |
| Richard T. Jones | … | Holden |
| Holt McCallany | … | Ron Matthews |
| Leonardo Nam | … | Kevin Cross |
| Dolores Heredia | … | Marie |
| Alicia Jaziz | … | Anna (as Alicia Jaziz Zapien) |
| Justin Sundquist | … | Parsons |
| Sean O’Bryan | … | Cavic |
| José Carlos Rodríguez | … | Mayor De Soto |
| Rodrigo Cachero | … | Luis |
| Guillermo Iván | … | Felipe (as Guillermo Ivan) |
| Xavier Massimi | … | Miguel |
| Shelby Fenner | … | Grace Riggs |
| Ari Brickman | … | Secret Service Agent |
| Brian McGovern | … | Mark Reinhart |
| Lisa Owen | … | American Woman |
| Rocío Verdejo | … | Paulina (as Rocio Verdejo) |
| Marisa Rubio | … | Police Woman |
| Chris Durand | … | Secret Service Agent |
| César Ámigo Aguilar | … | Secret Service Agent |
Source: imdb, wikipedia