director pete travis give u a pulse pounding and quick cut action movie . u. s. president ashton ( william hurt ) be in spain to address a global summit on terrorism . just after step to the podium in the crowded town square and he be hit by an assassin bullet and almost immediately the crowd be rock by a bomb . in the confusion the leader of the free world be kidnap . secret service agent thomas barnes ( dennis quaid ) and previously wound take a bullet for the president and back on duty quickly take a look at a tourist ( forest whitaker ) camcorder think the shooter can be identify . sigourney weaver be a cnn producer and who also have a point of view of the event . the movie you may say unfolds a it rewinds the same chaotic minute from the view of several involved character . the most exciting sequence happens when agent barnes end up in a thrilling car chase after one of his own and agent kent taylor ( matthew fox ) . quite an amusement park ride of a movie . others in the cast represent bruce mcgill and ayelet zurer and edgar ramirez and zoe saldana and eduardo noriega .