Direct hits don’t come that often in Hollywood.  Score a homer for Columbia Pictures with the release of Vantage Point.  Timely and tense beyond belief, filmdom’s freshest thriller is now firing folks up at Tinseltown (on Pender, free parking), Esplanade 6, Oakridge Cinemas, Empire Studio 12, Colossus and Famous Players Silver City arenas across B.C.

                Buckle up and fasten your seat belts as first time theatrical director Pete Travis moves flawlessly from television to the big screen in this 90 minute romp that barely gives you time to catch your breath. In the best tradition of such action gems as Speed and The Bourne trilogies Vantage Point takes you right into a powder keg arena just waiting to explode.  At stake: perhaps the fate of the free world.

                Politics plays prominently in this tale of intrigue, corruption and flat out action.  Danger here centers on what was supposed to be a routine conference attended by the American President.  Scenic Spain plays host to an anti-terrorism conference with U.S. President Ashton the main draw.  Offer up the president of the most powerful nation on Earth and odds are fairly good that some folks may take to the streets.  During that fateful address all sorts of trouble begins.

                Crack F.B.I. agents Thomas Barnes and Kent Taylor get the call to protect the American leader.  Too bad for them they walk smack dab into a hailstorm of fury as threats turn real.  Lucky for the good guys there are scores of folks at the ready with cameras in hand to record any events, big or small.  Told from the perspective of eight diverse “shooters” we get to see “exactly” what happened at the conference from eight different angles.

                Director Pete Travis deserves all the credit in the world for pulling off a frantic fast paced tale of danger, murder and mayhem with cover-ups the operative word.  You just won’t be able to piece together exactly who are the bad guys and who are the righteous ones until the final frames in this expertly acted story.

                Law men and women will be rooting all the way for F.B.I. operatives Barnes and Taylor, played to the hilt by Dennis Quaid (Great Balls of Fire) and Matthew Fox (We Are Marshall).  Out to lend their different perspectives to the disaster in the making are Oscar winning Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland) and Sigourney Weaver (Alien) who sizzles as a broadcaster up to her neck in turmoil with coveted coverage of the carnage all the rage.

                Man of the hour William Hurt (Mr. Brooks) soundly plays the President who some love, some hate but none will forget after this tale gets told.  Expect lots of politics and hysteria in Vantage Point, a very strong re-enactment of dangerous people out to inflict mega pain and those men and women in blue out to prevent the dire warnings from occurring.  Up to date writing that’s timely and well honed make Vantage Point one of the smartest and arguably most relevant thrillers in years.