Film review: Vantage Point

Is it really that hard to combine action, character and story? I guess it is.

From the trailer, Vantage Point seemed to have a lot going for it - the same, controversial event, seen through the eyes of multiple characters, in the style of Rashomon.

But at the end, despite a truly adrenaline-filled action ride, Marie and I left the cinema saying Vantage Point was OK, if even that.

Why? Maybe there were too many characters, and none of them had any discernible depth. I got excited when I saw Forrest Whitaker was in the cast, but he was sadly wasted as a two-dimensional, all-American tourist. The same with William Hurt's American President - he got maybe two really good lines in the whole piece, but apart from that showed very little complexity.

Vantage Point will satisfy you if you want 24, but shorter. If you want complexity that reflects the increasing complexity in our world, you'll find this movie wanting.