The Sentinel Review
by Homer Yen (homer_yen AT yahoo DOT com)April 29th, 2006
"The Sentinel" - Keeps You Watching, Barely
by Homer Yen
(c) 2006
In one of the scenes, a character proclaims that
in the 141 years of the Secret Service, there has never been a traitor. That's probably because of
the polygraph tests given to the agents. After
all, if there was a potential agent with a questionable past, it would surely be picked up, right? Thus the idea of the traitor among the
Secret Service agents seems implausible. It
reminds me of that same feeling of implausibility
at the end of "Air Force One" when selfish
survival instincts of a secret service agent took hold. And now that feeling of déjà vu has come
again.
In fact, "The Sentinel" also feels like a couple
of other films too. I was also reminded of an early-year release titled "Firewall" in which a
bank executive on the inside was trying to get
away with an unlikely crime. And then I was also reminded of "The Fuguitive" where our innocent
hero goes on the run to try to clear his name,
only to be pursued by a dogged agent. Actually,
come to think of it, I'm just reminded of much of
the Harrison Ford film oeuvre. Do you think that
the lack of originality holds this film back?
The only thing that seems original about this
film is the fact that our hero is played by
Michael Douglas and not Harrison Ford. Perhaps
if Leslie Nielsen played the president, and if
Michael Douglas engaged in a little physical
comedy, there could've been a good spoof here.
We could've then called it "The Air Force
Fugutive's Firewall".
Although the 'rehash' alert should be sounded,
the film probably already knows that, and so it
opens with a nice sequence accentuating the larger-than-life drama of Secret Service work.
We get a glimpse into the inner workings of White House security. With the short-wave radio communications, the code words, and the general
prep work involved, the minutia of the details is almost headache-inducing. Even a visit to an elementary school has as much urgency as a visit
to the G-8 Summit. The opening scenes are quite effective as it gives us a picture of the anxiety involved. It quickly ratchets up the pulse of
the film. But, it is also kind of a sugar high.
Once the meat of the film starts (that's when we
start to see the characters begin to emerge), it rapidly loses energy. Reliably power-centered is
bad boy Michael Douglas playing veteran agent
Pete Garrison. He's not so much bad as he is
naughty and as he is just a shrewd cad. He's
been canoodling with the First Lady (Kim
Basinger). Although it may be love, you can't
really tell because as a trained agent, it seems
like he's forbidden to smile.
When the Secret Service gets a tip that there is somebody on the inside plotting to assassinate
the president, Garrison lands in the crosshairs
of investigator David Breckinridge (Keifer Sutherland). Sutherland plays his role with
steely confidence, although after his
Emmy-winning turn on television's "24", you'd
think that there would be more variety of film
roles that he would choose. Along for the ride
is rookie agent, Jill Marin (Eva Longoria who
adds some needed beauty to this otherwise in-need-of-some-beauty cast).
And the rest you can imagine. Garrison uses all
of his years of experience to outwit his
pursuers, to try to clear his name, and to even
let the First Lady know that he loves her. At
times, "The Sentinel" is more engaging than it
should be. But most of the time, it seems like
it's been recycled from films past.
Grade: C+
S: 1 out of 3
L: 1 out of 3
V: 2 out of 3
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Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
