What you see isn’t exactly what you get with Vantage Point, a politically charged thriller told from the viewpoints of its eight principal characters. Dennis Quaid stars as Thomas Barnes, a Special Service agent just returning to duty after taking a bullet for the President (William Hurt) months before. His latest mission sees him and his team escorting the President to an anti-terror summit in Spain, where the President is supposed to give an address that will “define his Presidency”.  We never hear said address, however, as, mere moments after being introduced, the President is shot, the scene erupts into chaos, and a series of explosions rip through the city. This segment of the story happens again and again, as we see it through the eyes of everyone from a surly news producer (Sigourney Weaver), an American tourist (Forest Whitaker), a Spanish cop (Eduardo Noriega), and others, with each “vantage point” offering a new piece of the puzzle (as well as little cliffhangers to keep us watching until the story’s resolution) until they all finally come together at the film’s frantic conclusion.

Vantage Point is a fairly tense and engaging thriller that succeeds almost in spite of its own gimmick – the multiple viewpoints, which grow tiresome after the first four times through – and a rather silly revelation toward film’s end about one of the major characters. Quaid, as always, delivers a stand-out performance, as does the electrifying Noriega, and the gorgeous Israeli actress, Ayelet Zurer. While Hurt has all of the charisma of a wad of bubblegum stuck under a chair, his character spends most of his time on a gurney, while Forest Whitaker does his twitchy best as the borderline creepy Howard – the lonely American who videotapes the entire bloody affair (and then some). Much of it is implausible, some of it very predictable, but all of it is quite watchable, especially the penultimate white knuckle car chase through the tight and congested Spanish streets.

Sony brings Vantage Point to Blu-ray with a drop-dead gorgeous 2.40:1 that is brimming with depth and detail, from the creases around Quaid’s eyes to the film’s large crowd scenes in which nearly every detail is apparent. The warm, almost amber tint to the Spanish exteriors neutralizes the color palette a bit, but, generally, colors are rich and warm, with lush, true blacks.

The 5.1 Dolby True HD audio is absolutely thunderous, and, thanks to the fact that the film’s biggest explosion gets played back around eight times, you’ll be reminded of the tracks sheer power quite regularly. Of course, this track doesn’t just do the loud stuff justice. Just listen to the sonic dimensions as President Ashton is driving through a crowd of protesters. The mix during this one particular scene is amazing as you really get a sense of depth and distance from the audio here. And as for that aforementioned car chase?? Well, let’s just pray you’ve got forgiving neighbors!

Vantage Point is like several stories in one, but, as is often the case, some of those stories are more interesting than others, and, for me, the most compelling of them revolved around in those that featured Quaid, Noriega, and Zurer. The video and audio presentation, on the other hand, is absolutely stellar stuff, especially if you’ve the audio system (and privacy) to enjoy it as intended. Now, whether or not it’s worth buying a merely “okay” movie for a phenomenal presentation…well, I guess that all depends on your point of view.