"Vantage Point" seemed like a typical political thriller from the trailers featuring car chases, shootouts and explosions. In watching it, you can see that it is pretty much just that with its plot of presidential assassination and some clever terrorists who are one step ahead of the way throughout most of the movie. This is nothing unfamiliar to anyone who has seen a few action movies in this type. Where "Vantage Point" steps away from the crowd is by literally showing us the same set of events from different viewpoints one at a time. The film literally rewinds and we are placed in a new position to see the same thing over again.<br /><br />This allows much greater attention to each unfolding story line as each is viewed on its own. The story develops as if it were after the incident and the audience is looking through an investigator's point of view as they collect information from witnesses. It is frustrating as the information comes in pieces that can only be added up to a whole once they have all been examined. With every rewind and restart there is some redundancy to be gone through only to be given the next piece of incomplete information. With this unconventional approach "Vantage Point" strives to be about something more than just a typical action movie. The new perspective forces a new look at this typical formula. For instance in one view point we have a secret service man hesitating whether to make a call about a suspicious window and in the next view point we see that someone in the audience sees him looking and looks back and forth amongst the windows to get a glimpse of what could possibly be happening. In any linear sequence much of these shots would be cut for pacing and time, but in this arrangement with each perspective shown separately you are given each character's moment in the scene uncut. This, in effect, makes film slightly repetitive, but it also gives it a more detailed thoroughness that would make the scene seem dragged out in a linear arrangement of events.<br /><br />This all serves as a setup for the climatic scene where everyone's role becomes clear. "Vantage Point" may not be truly an original an daring thriller as it bears several clichés. However, with its interestingly unfolding story and plot twists it is most definitely a solid action thriller. --- 8/10<br /><br />BsCDb Classification: 13+ --- violence