Viewed – 23 July 2009  Blu-ray

This nifty little thriller has a very simple but highly effective premise.  During a Presidential visit to a Spanish city, witnessed by members of the public, a news team reporting on the event,  secret service agents and a Spanish police officer, amongst others, an assassination attempt takes place.  What follows is a classic case of who dunnit and how, as events are repeated several times from the perspective of different individuals, leading up to a big reveal in the closing moments.  Heading the cast is Dennis Quaid, definitely one of the under used classic actors that never really escaped the eighties, but is suitably supported by TVs LOST leading man Matthew Fox as well as the always dependable Forest Whitaker as a tourest who gets caught up in the chaos.

Exciting and thought provoking given the shadow of global terrorism we live in, and the gimmick of repeating events never gets old thanks to a fresh and unique spin on things every time.  Which all leads brilliantly to a stunning car chase that got me thoroughly perched on the edge of my seat.  Sigourney Weaver crops up as a TV anchor woman but is painfully under-used for such a heavy weight talent, although this is more about the story and the situation than some starry name on the credits.  I will add though that I was left a little puzzled over why the assassination attempt takes place and what the culprits were ultimatly trying to achieve … but perhaps we could say that about real terrorism?

So if you’re after a fast and thrilling movie that will keep you guessing, this is definitely worth a look.

Verdict:  4 /5