The Sentinel

Director: Clark Jackson.
Starring: Michael Douglas, Eva Longoria, Kiefer Sutherland.

The Sentinel is a movie in which one's perception of the proceedings will be impacted by a familiarity (or lack thereof) with the TV series 24. For those for whom that number means little more than "two dozen," The Sentinel is a Michael Douglas movie. For those for whom 24 has created a weekly television appointment, this is a Kiefer Sutherland movie in which Michael Douglas shows up to steal an inordinate amount of screen time. I'm tempted to say that Desperate Housewives fans may provide a third perspective, but Eva Longoria's role here is so different from that in the weekly series that there's no sense of déjà vu.

The Sentinel displays an old-fashioned sensibility, and that serves it well. It uses the old cliché of "the good man wrongly accused and forced to go on the run to prove his innocence." President Ballentine (David Rasche) is under threat of assassination and the threat is heightened by the revelation that there's a mole in the Secret Service. David Breckinridge and his rookie partner, Jill Marin (Longoria), are brought in to head up the investigation. The evidence leads to Secret Service legend Pete Garrison (Douglas), who is in the unenviable position of being unable to explain some of his actions because he's covering up an affair with the First Lady, Sarah Ballentine (Kim Basinger). It doesn't help that Breckinridge and Garrison have an antagonistic history. Once the best of friends, they parted ways when Beckinridge believed his former mentor was sleeping with his wife. With all the evidence pointing to him, Garrison has to go on the run to find vindication. Breckinridge must decide whether he believes Garrison to be guilty of treason or to have been framed. And, if the latter is the case, then a would-be assassin is on the loose, plotting to kill the President.

The film is full of tension, adventure, romance and compelling characters. It is well scripted with plenty of action as well as emotive scenes to please both types of audience. The many subplots to the film add to its depth, making it a genuinely entertaining film.

Victoria Galloway