|
|
|
|
REVIEWED BY CHARITY BISHOP
Our rating: 3 out of 5 Because of: adultery, sensuality, violence, language Rated:
In a hundred and forty-five years, there has never been a traitor in the secret service... until now. That's the gripping tagline for this high-action thriller betting on an audience follow-through from seasoned viewers of the television series 24. Although there is no connection except that of secondary leading man Kiefer Sutherland, it promises the same adrenaline-pumping scenes we're accustomed to watching every Monday night, and for the most part delivers.
After the murder of one of the secret service's top agents, a special investigative team is called in to investigate. Their leader is David Breckinridge (Sutherland) and he is in the process of screening and training his new partner, rookie Jill Marian (Eva Longoria). Fresh out of training, Jill is good friends with one of the president's top agents, Pete Garrison (Michael Douglas). The relationship between Breckinridge and Garrison is strained over personal issues revolving around Breckinridge's wife, leading to some friction as they attempt to discern why their man was murdered. The trial leads Garrison to an informant who vows there is a traitor in the service, someone who intends to murder the president at an upcoming public affair.
The performances here are very strong but not ultimately compelling. I felt Douglas was drawn in more for his name than the likelihood of him fitting the character. Kiefer's presence was nice in the sense that it was enjoyable to see him ask questions first and shoot later (a direct contrast with his bullet-spewing Jack Bauer). There were a few changes they could have made to keep the audience more informed, but for the most part it was worth viewing. There is some content. Language irritated me the most, with three abuses of Jesus' name, one of the term "for Christ's sake," and a half dozen uses of GD, along with occasional other mild profanities. Numerous gunfights erupt with often bloody results. In the climax, agents are killed left and right by snipers stalking characters through a government building. A missile launched from the ground takes out the presidential helicopter.
The language was a little rougher than I would have liked, and it's not as good as The Interpreter by a long shot, but if you're looking for a fast-paced thriller about the people who just want to keep our president safe, you might want to spend a couple hours with The Sentinel.
© www.charitysplace.com - all rights reserved. |
THE
SENTINEL
While
their agencies step all over one another, Garrison is assigned to watch
over the president's wife (Kim Basinger), little knowing that his
ill-timed romantic entanglement with her will provide the leverage needed
for him to be framed. Having failed his lie detector test on some of the
key questions, Breckinridge arrives on his doorstep with an arrest
warrant. Escaping the authorities and going rogue, Garrison must find out
who the terrorists are and when they plan to strike, while managing to
keep his own men off his trail. The Sentinel has a unique approach
to filmmaking and often moves very quickly, so audiences paying attention
might get lost. I was able to follow it overall, but guessed who the mole
was in the first half, lessening some of the emotional drama of the film.
An
agent (and the camera) checks out Jill's backside as she walks down the
hall. The First Lady and Garrison are engaged in a sexual affair, and are
shown passionately kissing and undressing one another (from the shoulders
up) before the camera cuts away. The cause of the break-up of the
friendship between Breckinridge and Garrison is that Breckinridge believed
his partner seduced his wife (he didn't, and the film takes steps to make
us believe that the marriage can be repaired). In being told off for
seducing the president's wife, Garrison replies that he didn't see it
coming, he couldn't help it, and that he loves her. That still doesn't
justify adultery, and it made it difficult for me to like him much.