Vantage Point” is a 2008 suspense thriller film by renowned director Peter Travis, which is a Hollywood-style commercial blockbuster with a modest budget. The script is innovative and experimental in meeting market demand and audience preferences, and the innovative and interesting camera language makes the film a typical commercial genre film with a small and large production.
The director made a big change in the structure of the script, breaking up the simple linear narrative into multiple segments of detailed flashbacks, making the whole film with a natural sense of participation in the uncovering and voyeurism, director Peter Travis fully use flashback techniques, repeatedly replaying the details of the assassination plot, and each time the details of the flashbacks become the trigger to advance the conflict of the script.
Because of this, in the seemingly lengthy story shooting is not too much to make people feel tired and tired of repetition, it can be said that “Vantage Point” with excellent narrative and play structure, this suspense thriller genre dramatic tension and conflict to the extreme, but also makes the film shows a strong sense of reality.
On the other hand, the story’s excitement is attributed to the creator’s reasonable control of the film’s overall pacing. In terms of camera scheduling, the film uses a lot of close-ups and alternating medium and close-up shots, which well create a touching connection between the characters and the suspects, thus leading the audience to actively think about the changes in the plot. This immersive experience allows director Peter Travis to intersperse the story with one ambush and climax after another.
The first contrast in the character and identity of some of the characters also creates a sense of surprise and shock in a way. The director uses the DV perspective of ordinary passersby and the presidential bodyguard to drive the rhythm of the whole film, supplemented by sophisticated sound effects and camera pushing and pulling, to make the whole simple story exquisite.
For the film itself, the overall special formal framework supports the watchability of the film’s storyline, while the director’s clever setup and scheduling of Howard Lewis makes the play itself a touch more human. It must be said that Howard Lewis, with his sophisticated and calm acting skills, portrayed a seemingly bystander character in an incisive and flesh-and-blood manner.
His performance makes the whole role not only play a role in supporting and promoting the development of the plot, but also in its internal characterization, injecting the film with a warm and touching atmosphere, although for the suspense thriller, there is not much room to play, but Howard Lewis still put the small man in the big event of the multi-layered emotions intertwined with a sense of powerlessness, determination, courage and kindness to show the best. It has become the biggest help outside the main line of the film.
To a large extent, it can be said that “Vantage Point” is a good example of a small budget commercial genre film, and this kind of smart creation is slightly different from the well-known small budget film “The Night the Comet Came”. Vantage Point” is more script-based, relying on excellent editing and flashbacks to guide the audience’s emotions, the director will be the right way to use the scheduling to car chases, explosions and other scenes to create a highly perceptive suspense thriller commercial genre film with a “four by two” approach, it can be said that the film’s subject matter greatly satisfies the audience’s curiosity, both from the story and the picture, the play is worth watching the genre classic masterpiece.