Richard T. Jones, left, and Dennis Quaid play secret service agents faced with a terroristic puzzle in ''Vantage Point.'' (Courtesy photo)

By Bob Polunsky
Movie Critic

“Vantage Point” is a thriller with a moral. It defines legal murder and illegal murder by showing how similar they are in today’s world.

The president of the U.S. (played by William Hurt) is assassinated while attending a world conference on terrorism in Spain. Assassination is illegal murder by all accounts. If he had been held accountable for crimes of any sort and was executed, he would have been legally murdered. The execution of Iraq’s Saddam Hussein posed a similar question.

The situation comes to a boil when people from various walks of life state their opinions about the president’s death, and virtually were in contact with the president so they have strong opinions.

The movie is pure melodrama, starting with the president’s assassination and progressing to the opinions of various people involved with the president in one way or another. Everyone involved has something to say, and their opinions pose more questions that finally converge to resolve the reasons why the assassination took place.

Each scene builds on another, and each character has strong reasons for his or her opinion. The movie becomes a guessing game that isn’t easy to figure out, and that develops the film’s unique and consistent suspense.

Howard Lewis (Forest Whitaker) is an American tourist in Spain, and he may or may not have captured the killer’s face on film with his camera. He’s also very determined to be involved with the investigation.

Thomas Barnes (Dennis Quaid) and Kent Taylor (Matthew Fox) are Secret Service agents and bodyguards for the President. Barnes had recently taken a bullet meant for the president (shades of relatively recent history!) He is obviously nervous and frightened when he sees Howard Lewis’ snapshots.

Another major character is a newscast editor played by Sigourney Weaver. She, too, has an opinion about the case and voices it, adding to both the confusion and the solution.

Other characters get involved. Bombs explode after the shootings. An outbreak of panic actually unites some of the characters with their opinions and, in the process, provides food for thought about the dangers of being a political leader in today’s world.

”Vantage Point” reminds you of FDR’s famous comment about the only thing people have to fear is fear itself, and the suspense is tense because the cast members (including Oscar winners Hurt and Whitaker) know what to do, and the director takes full advantage of their talents as well as the cinematography for maximum thrills. The movie has a lot of talk as well as action, and the PG-13 rating gives it purpose.

Moviegoers from teens on up can appreciate the suspense the movie develops with both its characters and storyline.

It also works well as a modern-day thriller with overtones of morality that come from real life issues.

”Vantage Point” actually sets the records of legal and illegal murders straight, and the ending will surprise you.

Studio rating: PG-13
Bob says: ”Each scene is worth a thousand words!”
3 Stars