When US President Ashton (William Hurt) arrives in Salamanca, Spain, for a historic summit on terrorism, everyone is on high alert for a potential assassination attempt. Yet, as violence erupts, none of his staff could have predicted what unfolds in this risible thriller that's told from the differing viewpoints of eight characters. They include two Secret Service agents (Dennis Quaid and Matthew Fox), a TV producer (Sigourney Weaver) who thinks she caught the suspect on film, and a tourist (Forest Whitaker) with a video camera who saw more than he realises. Retelling the story from each protagonist's perspective, director Pete Travis (terrorist drama Omagh) aims for a post-9/11 Rashomon but delivers a surprisingly silly thriller full of ridiculous plot twists and some thinly disguised digs at President Bush's legacy. And although one of the most obvious influences here is TV's 24, this actually feels less cinematic and more restricted than its small-screen counterpart.

During an historic counter-terrorism summit in Spain, the President of the United States is struck down by an assassin's bullet. Eight strangers have a perfect view of the kill, but what did they really see? As the minutes leading up to the fatal shot are replayed through the eyes of each eyewitness, the reality of the assassination takes shape.