Chris
September 3rd '06, 07:31 PM
Starring: Michael Douglas, Kiefer Sutherland, Eva Longoria, Kim Basinger, Martin Donovan.
Director: Clark Johnson
Certificate: UK-12A, US-PG13, AUS-No Rating, IRE-12A, CAN-PG
Runtime: 108 Minutes
Trailer: http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox/thesentinel/trailer_large.html
Official Site: http://www.sentinelthemovie.com/
Note: This film is no longer showing in US/Canadian cinemas because it is already out on DVD there, for some reason the UK has received the film in cinemas 6 months later :/
The Plot: Secret Service Agent Pete Garrison (Michael Douglas) once took a bullet for a past President, 20 years later he still does his job with efficiency, but now he's having an affair with the First Lady and there's a mole inside the Secret Service that wants to expose his affair and kill the President of the United States. When all the evidence in the assassination plot is orchestrated to point to him, he goes on the run to clear his name while fellow Secret Service agents which were once his friends pursue him relentlessly.
What's Good: The story is fun to watch and highly entertaining while also pretty good at keeping you guessing as to who the mole is inside the Secret Service. Michael Douglas proves that he can still cut it for the action hero roles which he was famous for in the mid 80's, and supporting him is the excellent Kiefer Sutherland who plays Douglas' former friend who is the agent in charge of hunting him down. The action scenes are actually few and far between, with the film instead relying on tension to entertain the viewer while Douglas' character attempts to evade the Agents who are after him.
What's Bad: Eva Longoria's role is pretty pointless to be honest, her acting is fine, but there is really no point to her character at all, she doesn't add anything to the film other than being the rookie of the Secret Service. The film isn't actually that original either, at one point all it needed was a One Armed Man to appear with a prosthetic limb for it to be a rip off of 'The Fugitive', luckily though, this doesn't happen. One final thing is that i'm not sure why the film was actually called 'The Sentinel', never is anything by the name of 'Sentinel' mentioned, this doesn't detract from the enjoyment of the film but it does make you wonder why its called that.
Conclusion: A taut thriller in the same style as 'The Fugitive' with a similar premise to Clint Eastwood's 'In the Line of Fire', which should keep you guessing and entertained to the end.
8.5/10
PS: For anyone who watches 24, Kiefer Sutherland does actually say the infamous "Damnit!" :D
Director: Clark Johnson
Certificate: UK-12A, US-PG13, AUS-No Rating, IRE-12A, CAN-PG
Runtime: 108 Minutes
Trailer: http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox/thesentinel/trailer_large.html
Official Site: http://www.sentinelthemovie.com/
Note: This film is no longer showing in US/Canadian cinemas because it is already out on DVD there, for some reason the UK has received the film in cinemas 6 months later :/
The Plot: Secret Service Agent Pete Garrison (Michael Douglas) once took a bullet for a past President, 20 years later he still does his job with efficiency, but now he's having an affair with the First Lady and there's a mole inside the Secret Service that wants to expose his affair and kill the President of the United States. When all the evidence in the assassination plot is orchestrated to point to him, he goes on the run to clear his name while fellow Secret Service agents which were once his friends pursue him relentlessly.
What's Good: The story is fun to watch and highly entertaining while also pretty good at keeping you guessing as to who the mole is inside the Secret Service. Michael Douglas proves that he can still cut it for the action hero roles which he was famous for in the mid 80's, and supporting him is the excellent Kiefer Sutherland who plays Douglas' former friend who is the agent in charge of hunting him down. The action scenes are actually few and far between, with the film instead relying on tension to entertain the viewer while Douglas' character attempts to evade the Agents who are after him.
What's Bad: Eva Longoria's role is pretty pointless to be honest, her acting is fine, but there is really no point to her character at all, she doesn't add anything to the film other than being the rookie of the Secret Service. The film isn't actually that original either, at one point all it needed was a One Armed Man to appear with a prosthetic limb for it to be a rip off of 'The Fugitive', luckily though, this doesn't happen. One final thing is that i'm not sure why the film was actually called 'The Sentinel', never is anything by the name of 'Sentinel' mentioned, this doesn't detract from the enjoyment of the film but it does make you wonder why its called that.
Conclusion: A taut thriller in the same style as 'The Fugitive' with a similar premise to Clint Eastwood's 'In the Line of Fire', which should keep you guessing and entertained to the end.
8.5/10
PS: For anyone who watches 24, Kiefer Sutherland does actually say the infamous "Damnit!" :D