Category Archives: Three Stars

Vantage Point (DVD)

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As the title of this film clearly points out, Vantage Point attempts to use various “Points of View” to unravel the mystery of an assassination attempt on the President of the United States at a summit in Spain. Although it starts out quite impressively, the film relies so heavily on its fast pace and heart stopping action that its storyline loses much of its credibility as it progresses.

This however was not necessarily a bad thing for action/suspense type film. I will easily admit that I enjoyed this film at face value. It moved at such a terrific pace that although the film recycled itself five or six times, It didn’t feel monotonous at all. The explosions, car chases, and ever changing points of view kept me on my toes throughout, and I definitely found myself trying to piece together the puzzle as the film moved forward.

The cast of Vantage Point were all uniformly good with the services of Dennis Quaid, Forest Whitaker, and Sigourney Weaver. Although I can’t recall any outstanding performances from Quaid, he definitely played the role of secret service agent Thomas Barnes very well. He’s one of those actors who seem to lack the qualities of a megastar, yet always manages to put on a solid performance.

Forest Whitaker on the other hand is always worth watching and his role as tourist Howard Lewis is no different. I wasn’t too sure if his role was absolutely necessary, but with movie presence he commands, he easily made his character stand out of the crowd. As for Weaver, I felt that she could have done much more. She was definitely under utilized and it truly seems to be at the twilight of her career.

Overall, Vantage Point was entertaining and will definitely keep busy for the ninety of so minutes it runs. Just don’t expect anything spectacular. Besides its pace, stunts, and explosions, the film is otherwise pretty hollow. Vantage Point becomes much more of a mindless action thriller rather than a narrative by the ending credits. If your looking for a short fast paced action thriller, this might work for you. If you need a excellent story and believable script, you’re probably better off with “The Secret Life of Bees”.

Traitor (DVD)

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Traitor was able to set itself apart from others in its genre through the use of intelligent dialogue and character development. Uncommon for a Hollywood feature, I thought it provided its audience with a decent glimpse of the inner extremities and psyche of individuals who live in a world of religious fanaticism.

What was even more interesting was the conflicts most of the characters had between their religious and personal beliefs. It seemed that most knew that terrorism was wrong, but went along with it anyway out of fear of religious or physical retribution. When you realize that most individuals are very easily manipulated by those with the ability to influence them through misinterpreted religious doctrine, it becomes a very scary thing.

The one person I must applaud before closing is under appreciated actor Don Cheadle. He is outstanding in his role as Samir Horn. His ability to take on the roles of both terrorist and secret agent with such fluidity is amazing, and although you know what side he really is on, you can never really tell where his true loyalty lies even after the credits roll.

Overall, this feature is great for anyone who enjoys a good dialogue and finds politically driven stories fascinating. If your seeking a thriller that is full of action and explosions, I’d probably skip this one. This is the wrong film for you.

Synopsis:

When FBI agent Roy Clayton (Guy Pearce) heads up the investigation into a dangerous international conspiracy, all clues seem to lead back to former U.S. Special Operations officer Samir Horn (Don Cheadle). A mysterious figure with a complex web of international connections, Horn has a knack for emerging on the scene just as a major operation goes down and disappearing before the authorities can question him.

The inter-agency task force looking into the case meets with Carter (Jeff Daniels), an amoral, veteran CIA contractor who seems to have his own agenda, and FBI agent Max Archer (Neal McDonough). The task force links Horn to illicit activities in Yemen, Nice and London, but a tangle of contradictory evidence emerges, forcing Clayton to question whether his quarry is a disaffected former military operative — or something far more complicated.

Obsessed with discovering the truth, Clayton tracks Horn across the globe as the elusive ex-soldier burrows deeper and deeper into a world constructed of secrets and lies.

Saw V (DVD)

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The Saw series is like a bad relationship. It started off amazing, then gradually got worse and worse. Every so often it would offer glimpses of its past with the hopes that things would get better, yet with 4 sequels so far, nothing much has improved. Still, like a sucker I keep on running back.

The first movie was brilliant and probably one of the greatest suspense films of all time in my book. The intricately woven plot details all culminated in a multitude of twists I honestly never “saw” (hehe) coming. The second movie was decent, however more and more attention was focused on the traps and torture devices instead of what I felt was the meat of the series, which is the plot. The third film adds insult to injury, in that the plot has taken a backseat to the traps, evolving into the genre that is now known as ‘torture porn.”

This third film also featured perhaps what can be considered the bravest and at the same time stupidest risk in all of movies- they killed off Jigsaw, the mastermind behind the entire series. It is also with this film that the notion of time and space becomes extremely murky. All of a sudden Jigsaw has multiple accomplices. The events of the later films occur simultaneously and often times prior to the events of the first film. Keep in mind that this is all after he died in what is a desperate attempt at keeping the series going. While the plots were nowhere near the caliber of the first or even the second for that matter, I would have gladly settled for some sort of cohesion, yet sadly it has all become a muddled mess by the conclusion of the fourth movie. Which brings us to Saw V…

I’ll start off by saying that this film, while showcasing a fair amount of traps and devices, shifts some of its focus back to story telling. While the film starts off with the customary gratuitous trap scene, the rest of the film is focused on the unravelling plot, with a few torture sequences thrown in for good measure. Ever since Jigsaw’s “death” in the third movie, it has become painfully apparent just how desperately the series needs him. He has had a few accomplices throughout the series, but none of them share his complexity or his genuine belief and passion for his work. Where Jigsaw is a man with a vision, twisted as it may be, his accomplices are simply weak minded cronies manipulated to assist him.  Sadly, they are ill equipped to run things themselves, much less carry an entire movie alone.  This movie starts off a bit slow, only finally picking up at the first Jigsaw flashback scene, at which point the movie begins to really hit its stride.

I’m not even going to begin to attempt to describe the plot other than saying people get trapped, they get tortured, and pretty much everyone dies. There are obviously a few more details than that, but I would be ruining the film if I were to reveal any more. Be assured that the plot is decent, perhaps one of the better plots in the series since the second movie.

Tobin Bell, the actor who plays Jigsaw, has really got his portrayal down to a science. He is what makes these movies, at least for me anyways. He is so good that not only is it impossible to imagine someone else playing Jigsaw, it is equally impossible to envision him playing a different character. I actually watched a movie in which he played the rich father of some girl being held hostage and the entire time I was just waiting for him to say “I would like to play a game.” That’s how iconic his portrayal is to this series. As usual he is excellent in this film and it becomes painfully obvious that he is the thread holding this series together.

The supporting cast is decent. Nothing award winning going on here and no actors here that couldn’t be replaced by a million other actors. At this point in the series they could just hire extras as the only purpose they serve is as ammunition for the traps. One bright spot in the cast was Meagan Good who is just so smoking hot that she deserves to be mentioned. I can’t remember her character’s name or any of her lines, but I do remember how she died and that even as a dead body she looked incredibly good.

There are different things that attract people to this series. Some people enjoy the torture scenes while others, like myself, keep watching these movies for the plot in the hopes that one of them will at least come close to the greatness of the original film. This film seems a bit more balanced than the previous sequels, with equal emphasis placed on the traps and the development of the story. Those expecting the customary “M. Night Shyamalan” style twist at the end will not be disappointed, although it is nowhere near as surprising as the plot twists in the previous movies. One thing this series is good at is leaving loose ends, and Saw V manages to leave quite a few. Then again you don’t make 5 movies by giving the audience closure. Overall Saw V is a decent movie. I would recommend it for a rental if you’re into these types of movies. If these movies are not your thing then this definitely isn’t the movie to bring you around.