Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
Veteran Secret Service agent Pete Garrison investigates a colleague's murder and is subsequently framed as a mole in an assassination attempt on the President due to the machinations of a blackmailer who knows the secret he is hiding. Disgraced, dismissed, and now a fugitive with two relentless federal investigators hot on his heels, Garrison must both clear his name and save the president from assassination.
The Sentinel is a competent but formulaic political thriller that hits familiar beats without much surprise. The framed-agent-on-the-run premise is well-worn territory, and the screenplay doesn't elevate the material beyond its genre conventions. Michael Douglas brings professionalism to the lead role, and Kiefer Sutherland and Eva Longoria provide adequate support, but no performance is especially memorable. The cinematography is functional and workmanlike — adequate for the genre but visually unremarkable. The film's novelty is low; it recycles tropes from Secret Service thrillers without offering a distinctive voice or fresh angle. The ending resolves predictably with few surprises, wrapping up the conspiracy in a tidy but unsatisfying fashion. Overall a watchable but undistinguished genre entry.