Vantage Point makes for an exciting trailer. The poster is also quite enticing. But despite star power and some high action the film falls short of expectations.

The opening credits are monochrome serious, they promise intense drama and even depth. But the film has only action to deliver. Some of the action rises to the level of the Bourne Series, but much of it is rather standard. Whenever the dialogue begins to break into some depth, it's readily truncated never to be returned to again. And other dialogue is plain plain. Worse, because of the picture's structure, some of that poor action and or dialogue gets repeated.

Speaking of the structure, this is the most interesting aspect of the film. Certainly an admirable attempt to be different, but not quite successful at it as other innovative films, Run Lola Run, Memento, for examples. On paper it sounds great. One very confusing, high action sequence is replayed from various points of view several times. That's the film. Each replay resolves an unknown from the previous, and ends on a cliff-hanger of its own. It really is a clever idea. I like it. But I think what trips the whole thing up is that the premise (a simplistically portrayed peace summit kick-off that's the target of terrorist attacks) is way too important with which to play games. This is the same risk that United 93 took with its subject matter. The difference is that the filmmakers of that film sported a highly respectable and respectful production worthy of the subject matter. With V.P., however, it's rather obvious the filmmakers were just interested in impressing us with superficial Hollywood action.

Hey and whatever happened to the two secret service agents chasing the bearded Spanish cop?

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