A loyal member of the Secret Service, Pete Garrison's work is his life and is highly committed; even taking a bullet for a previous President. A friend of Garrison and colleague Secret Service agent Merriweather is gunned down at his home. Heading the investigation is David Breckinridge, a former protégé and former friend to Garrison, and rookie agent Jill Marin. When Garrison is approach by one of his informants, Merriweather's death is connected to a bigger plot; to assassinate the President. The information also points to a mole in the Secret Service. Soon after this, Garrison is framed for this assassination attempt, being chased down by Breckenridge.
Adapted from the novel by Gerald Petievich, The Sentinel is a highly entertaining, yet no brainer, political thriller. In the vain of In the Line of Fire, The Sentinel is your basic carbon copy on the same premise. This doesn't bring anything really new to this genre, it's very paint by number. But for it's formulaic plot and story, The Sentinel still has interesting qualities. The Secret Service jargon, meticulous details to protect the President are all great elements to keep the story afloat.
The Sentinel suffers greatly from under-developing the script. The love affair between Garrison and the First Lady doesn't hold true. You don't believe it even when they say they love each other. The race to find who's behind it all runs by the numbers and doesn't leave much shock and bewilderment, though the final act is greatly executed when all the pieces come together.
Director Clark Johnson, uses the same hyperactive directing style of his film Swat, and it's the visual aesthetic that's the real problem. Flashes of grungy yellow with threat letters together with static voice over, bleached out and over saturated colours clutter the screen; it morphs into a Tony Scott film. Screen swipes mixed with unsteady camera work, quick cuts and fast zooms are all utilized in a very heavy handed way and come off mediocre.
Showing he can still run at his age, Michael Douglas is convincing as an agent proving his innocence. Kiefer Sutherland does the best performance as Breckinridge. Much like his character Jack Bauer from 24, though with a less hard boiled edge, he is great in government agent roles. Eva Longoria is good value, but ends up nothing more than a pretty face. Kim Basinger is flaky as Firsy Lady Sarah and easily over looked.
If you know your 'who done it' films, you'll have this nut cracked very early, though for it's faults and flaws, The Sentinel is still highly entertaining.
Adapted from the novel by Gerald Petievich, The Sentinel is a highly entertaining, yet no brainer, political thriller. In the vain of In the Line of Fire, The Sentinel is your basic carbon copy on the same premise. This doesn't bring anything really new to this genre, it's very paint by number. But for it's formulaic plot and story, The Sentinel still has interesting qualities. The Secret Service jargon, meticulous details to protect the President are all great elements to keep the story afloat.
The Sentinel suffers greatly from under-developing the script. The love affair between Garrison and the First Lady doesn't hold true. You don't believe it even when they say they love each other. The race to find who's behind it all runs by the numbers and doesn't leave much shock and bewilderment, though the final act is greatly executed when all the pieces come together.
Director Clark Johnson, uses the same hyperactive directing style of his film Swat, and it's the visual aesthetic that's the real problem. Flashes of grungy yellow with threat letters together with static voice over, bleached out and over saturated colours clutter the screen; it morphs into a Tony Scott film. Screen swipes mixed with unsteady camera work, quick cuts and fast zooms are all utilized in a very heavy handed way and come off mediocre.
Showing he can still run at his age, Michael Douglas is convincing as an agent proving his innocence. Kiefer Sutherland does the best performance as Breckinridge. Much like his character Jack Bauer from 24, though with a less hard boiled edge, he is great in government agent roles. Eva Longoria is good value, but ends up nothing more than a pretty face. Kim Basinger is flaky as Firsy Lady Sarah and easily over looked.
If you know your 'who done it' films, you'll have this nut cracked very early, though for it's faults and flaws, The Sentinel is still highly entertaining.