The Sentinel

Review by Clint Morris
Click here to read the Exclusive Interview with The Sentinel's Raoul Bhaneja

The cone might be full, but that doesn’t mean it ain’t all Vanilla.

Another of those films that’s built entirely around those that are in it – in this case, the formidable line-up of Michael Douglas, Kiefer Sutherland, Kim Basinger and Eva Longoria – without an ounce of effort put into anything other than casting. 

The Sentinel is celluloid plastic surgery: something that looks rather pretty – again, at a price – but starts to come undone, in due course.

Based on a book by Gerald Petievich, The Sentinel is a thinly written (obviously the book has been significantly trimmed in its translation to the big screen) conspiracy thriller about a secret service agent (Michael Douglas), assigned to protect the president, who becomes a suspect in a murder case when someone sets him up for the murder of a colleague. When it’s revealed that the agent has been having an affair with the first lady (Kim Basinger), things get interesting – or rather, they’re supposed to.

It is sad that Hollywood couldn’t do more with the brilliant Michael Douglas (looking younger and younger each year – ah, the faces that money can buy), comeback talent Kiefer Sutherland, rising starlet Eva Longoria and ageless beauty Kim Basinger. None of them have anything much to do here – especially Douglas, who looks plain bored, and Sutherland, whose seemingly just playing Jack Bauer, his TV character on 24, but with a darker hair dye – and as a consequence, the audience feels disattached from the characters the aforelisted actors are playing on screen.

Biggest X against the writers names though, who have failed to come up with any sort of interesting scenario, back story for the characters, or interesting dialogue for the actors to gnaw on.  It just isn’t exciting enough.

Thankfully though, there are some likeable and interesting – even when they don’t have a lot to do – actors here, and they help make this otherwise insignificant ho-hum studio effort a tolerable-enough affair.

2.5 out of 5

The Sentinel
Australian release: 3rd August, 2006
Cast: Michael Douglas, Kiefer Sutherland, Eva Longoria, Martin Donovan, Paul Calderon
Director: Clark Johnson
Website: Click here.