Askew ‘Point’ misses mark

In 2002, NBC premiered a new show with an interesting technique of storytelling. “Boomtown,” which did not even last two seasons, used the concept of presenting the plot from multiple perspectives.

Director Pete Travis salvaged the gimmick for “Boomtown” and turned it into “Vantage Point,” a new movie. Though the technique gained “Boomtown” critical acclaim, the format turns “Vantage Point” into an awkward whodunit and leaves no room for character development.

The film takes place in Spain at an international summit organized by President Ashton (William Hurt). Global News Network managing editor Rex Brooks (Sigourney Weaver) watches in horror as an unknown assassin shoots the president, and it is up to secret service agent Thomas Barnes (Dennis Quaid) to find the culprits behind the attempt. While he is out chasing terrorists, the film frequently flashes back and shifts the point of view to other people present at the summit, such as characters played by Matthew Fox, Forest Whitaker and Edgar Ramirez, with each point of view bringing more information about the assassination.

However star-studded and talented the cast is, the lack of character development and meaningful interaction between and among the characters take away from the film as a whole.

In an early scene, Brooks recalls a previous assassination attempt on Ashton. Barnes saves Ashton’s life in the first attempt by taking bullets for him. Ironically, the film spends relatively little focus on any internal conflict in the obviously troubled Barnes and quickly shifts focus away from the supposed main protagonist.

Similarly, Forest Whitaker’s moving portrayal of tourist Howard Lewis only lasts for about eight minutes outside of the main events in other people’s points of view that get repeated over and over again.

The plot itself, though, demands attention. It may fail to delve deeper into the motivations of the assassins, but the storyline is never boring. There are explosions, kidnappings, a car chase and betrayals with some bits and pieces of information to connect them all. While somewhat annoying, the constant flashbacks take a new route with the action-thriller genre, making the investigation of the assassination almost instant. The editing also helps the plot develop with the flashbacks, since each one takes place at a critical moment and not at random places in the movie.

The film’s resurrection of “Boomtown’s” storytelling technique, interesting as it is, works much better for television. The action-thriller is best suited for audiences looking for a quick adrenaline rush or a semi-original idea. “Vantage Point” gives us a breath of less-polluted air in a movie industry filled with clichés and meaningless violence, even if its original thinking is a bit repetitive.