Credit: Amazon.com
Director:
Clark Johnson
Starring:
Michael Douglas ………. Pete Garrison
Kiefer Sutherland ………. David Breckinridge
Eva Longoria ………. Jill Marin
Martin Donovan ………. William Montrose
Kim Basinger ………. 1st Lady Sarah Ballentine
Ritchie Coster………. The Handler
Blair Brown ………. National Security Advisor
David Rasche ………. President Ballentine
Kristin Lehman ………. Cindy Breckinridge
Raynor Scheine ………. Walter Xavier
Chuck Shamata ………. Director Overbrook
Paul Calderon ………. Deputy Director Cortes
Clark Johnson ………. Charlie Merriweather
Raoul Bhaneja ………. Aziz Hassad
Yanna McIntosh ………. Teddy Vargas
Joshua Peace ………. Agent Davies
Simon Reynolds ………. Tom DiPaola
The Movie
Don’t you love movies that have the hero “running” after bad guys to try and prevent a serious crime from happening? How about a movie with the hero “running” away from the “good” police guys, attempting to clear his name for a crime that he didn’t commit? The key word in both of these types of movies is “running” as that means you are in for a non-stop thrill ride of a movie. Two of these types of movies came out in 1993 alone. Clint Eastwood played Secret Service Agent Frank Horrigan in In the Line of Fire, attempting to save the president from a deadly assassin. Harrison Ford, meanwhile, played Dr. Richard Kimble in The Fugitive. Kimble attempted to clear his name after he was accused of murdering his wife. Now what happens when you mix these two movies together? The Sentinel, of course.
Michael Douglas plays Special Agent Pete Garrison. At one time as famous as Jim Brady, who took a bullet for President Ronald Reagan in 1981, Garrison is now convinced that a Neo-Nazi Aryan Disciple has managed to infiltrate the White House. After a White House Agent is murdered, Garrison is framed and blackmailed over an affair with the First Lady Sarah Ballentine (Kim Basinger). He is relieved of his duties as part of the investigation but Garrison won’t stop trying to prove his innocence. While attempting to uncover the person behind it all, he comes into confrontation with his protégé, Agent Breckinridge (Kiefer Sutherland). That’s when the “running” really begins.
The tagline of the movie says that “in 141 years, there’s never been a traitor in the Secret Service..until NOW!” Giving it a higher sense of credibility, The Sentinel does an excellent job of going inside the world of the Secret Service. Having former agents working with the writers and director to present an accurate portrayal of Secret Service agents, three types are presented here. Douglas plays the seasoned veteran, who has the “battle scars” to prove how good he is. Sutherland plays the established agent, who was trained by Douglas’ character. Finally, Eva Longoria plays the rookie agent, straight out of school. She doesn’t have the experience of the other two, but she knows what she is doing.
The acting in this film is top-notch. In fact, many people probably went to go see the movie after seeing that Kiefer Sutherland was in it. They kept running ads on FOX for this movie during “24,” Sutherland’s Emmy Award winning show. And on paper the film looks like 24: The Movie. Kiefer is running around and chasing bad guys, at least guys he thinks are bad. It’s what he does best. However, Douglas does an equally good job in the lead role. One suspects that Ford or Eastwood could have easily stepped into Michael Douglas’ place and do the same good job with the character, though. That’s not knocking Douglas’ performance; it’s just how the character was written. Others may have wanted to see the movie because they saw that Eva Longoria from “Desperate Housewives” was in it as well. If one hopes to see her in revealing clothes don’t bother watching the movie as she is always in business attire. She does a good job with her role, as it doesn’t seem odd for her to be there. There isn’t a bad performance in the entire film as the acting is definitely one of the main strong points for this film.
Another positive is the visuals in this movie. The movie is set in Washington, D.C, and does the city (and the surrounding area) justice. The nation’s capital is brought to full life on the big screen. The “24” style music isn’t necessarily needed in this film but it fits since most of the movie is in fast-forward. There could have been a little more action, however, as well as some more back story on the characters. It isn’t as fast-paced the genre dictates, as there are definitely better “chase” films out there, but the action provided matches the film’s tempo.
There is always this sense of tension throughout the film. While I watched it I was always expecting an assassin’s bullet to come flying into view and head straight for the president. That just builds to the drama and the action in the movie. There are plot holes to be found in the film, of course, but there isn’t any major damage done to the film because of them.
The Sentinel is not an original movie by any means, as it has various elements of previous movies in the genre. The pace is fast, but not as fast as it could’ve been. The acting is great, though, and the film is entertaining throughout. It’s a fun action thriller that will keep you in your seat, but not always on the edge of your seat per se.
Score: 6/10
The Video:
The video is given in 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen color. The colors are bright and Washington, D.C. is brought to the big screen in excellent condition. One of the strong points for the movie.
The Audio:
The audio included is in either English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround sound, Spanish Dolby Surround sound, or French Dolby Surround sound. There are English and Spanish subtitles available as well. No problems here either. The ’24’-style music doesn’t seem that out of place in the action scenes.
The Extras:
Full-Length Audio Commentary–
The director, Clark Johnson, and screenwriter, George Nolfi, talk about the movie as it happens. The usual stuff is here, which is more behind-the-scenes stuff. Always interesting to watch after you have seen the movie once.
Alternate Ending and Deleted Scenes–
Just what it says, and really the deleted scenes added nothing to the movie. They just slowed it down more really, which is not good. There is an alternate ending here and it just basically puts a “happy ending” to everything. In fact, it’s too happy. If they went with that ending, they would assume the audience was dumb and couldn’t figure things out for themselves.
“The Secret Service: Building on a Tradition of Excellence” Featurette–
This tells you all about the history of the Secret Service and the role they play in protecting the president. A very good piece to learn more about Secret Service and how former agents helped make this film.
“In the President’s Shadow: Protecting the President” Featurette–
This is like part 2 of the above. The same kind of stuff, but it tells you how the agents are supposed to be invisible. If they are doing their job, you won’t notice them. It also talks about how this relating to former presidents, including getting younger agents who can actually run and keep pace with George W. Bush to fulfill their duties. Interesting as well.
Score: 6/10
| InsidePulse’s Ratings for The Sentinel | |
