"The Sentinel" is a suspense-thriller that is neither suspenseful nor thrilling. Amazing that a film that is billed to be so fast-moving and exciting would be so dull and sleep-inducing. There seems to be a plot to assassinate the president (David Rasche). It becomes obvious early on that an insider in the Secret Service is assisting radicals from the former Soviet Union in their deviant goal. Michael Douglas, a veteran Secret Service agent who actually took a bullet on Reagan's failed assassination attempt, becomes the prime suspect due to a hidden affair he is having with the first lady (Kim Basinger). The typical chaos ensues with Douglas failing a lie detector test, being chased by Kiefer Sutherland (doing his best "24" impression) and red-hot new rookie Eva Longoria (doing her best to shed her "Desperate Housewives" image) and finally a silly resolution that brings everything together in a nicely wrapped package. Though ambitious and stylish, "The Sentinel" does nothing to endear itself to its audience. The characters are cardboard cutouts that just seem to be there and the plot has been done to death in variations for decades. Douglas and Basinger have absolutely no chemistry and honestly it seems they would have been better suited for their roles a good 10 or 15 years ago. Long and boring, "The Sentinel" does not have near enough going for it to warrant more than a very mediocre review. 2.5 out of 5 stars.
Review of The Sentinel
