The Sentinel (2006)

A Secret Service agent is framed as the mole in an assassination attempt on the President. He must clear his name and foil another assassination attempt while on the run from a Secret Service Protective Intelligence Division agent.

Director:

Clark Johnson

Writers:

George Nolfi (screenplay), Gerald Petievich (novel)

Stars:

Michael Douglas, Kiefer Sutherland, Kim Basinger

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Douglas	...	Pete Garrison
Kiefer Sutherland	...	David Breckinridge
Eva Longoria	...	Jill Marin
Martin Donovan	...	William Montrose
Ritchie Coster	...	The Handler
Kim Basinger	...	1st Lady Sarah Ballentine
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 (as Clarque Johnson)
Raoul Bhaneja	...	Aziz Hassad
Yanna McIntosh	...	Teddy Vargas

Storyline

Special Agent Pete Garrison is convinced that a Neo-Nazi Aryan Disciple has managed to infiltrate the White House. When a White House Agent is murdered, Garrison is framed and blackmailed over an affair with the First Lady Sarah Ballentine. He is relieved of his duties, but Garrison won't stop in trying to prove his innocence, and save the life of the President. While attempting to uncover the person behind it all, he comes into confrontation with his protege, Agent Breckinridge.

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Plot Keywords:

secret service | president | first lady | investigation | framed | 

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Taglines:

In 141 years, there's never been a traitor in the Secret Service.... Until Now.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some intense action violence and a scene of sensuality

Details

Official Sites:

Twentieth Century Fox [France] Twentieth Century Fox [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 April 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Sentinel - Wem kannst du trauen?

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$60,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$87,942 (New Zealand) (21 April 2006)

Gross:

$36,279,230 (USA) (21 July 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Regency Enterprises, Epsilon Motion Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min 107 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The speech heard at the G8 meeting, before that of the American President's, is in Swedish, and closes with the words: "... vägnar vill jag tacka er för att ni stödjer Kyoto-protokollet. Tack så mycket," which means, "... I want to thank you for supporting the Kyoto Protocol. Thank you very much."

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Goofs

When Agent Marin describes how a downed agent's gun still had the safety activated, she is referring to a Secret Service issue Sig-Sauer P229, which has no safety lever to deactivate. It instead has a decocker, which increases the length and pressure of the trigger pull but does not prevent the weapon from being fired. Typically, the weapon is carried in the holster decocked, and the agent would fire the first round double-action, followed by single action for successive shots.

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Quotes

Pete Garrison: You want to shoot me? Forget about the Kevlar. Shoot me in my face!

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Connections

References Welcome to Mooseport (2004)

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Soundtracks

Bullet and a Target
Written by Citizen Cope (as Clarence Greenwood)
Performed by Citizen Cope
Courtesy of RCA Records
By Arrangement with SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT

User Reviews

Pointless, Z-movie garbage

The Sentinel represents everything about the soul-lessness of Hollywood and the saddening lack of imagination present in so many movies these days. I cannot possibly think of one good thing about it, it's all so generic, so factory-made and so lazy assembled that it really only exists as an infomercial on how to make money from the unsuspecting, undeserving public.

A plot about a Secret Service Agent planning to assassinate the Prez could well be entertaining. If handled by a good director or caring cast that is. Douglas is the one who is framed. Basinger is the First Lady, with whom he is having an affair (an undeveloped, unresolved plot contrivance). Sutherland is the best pal who believes his guilty because there would be no movie if he didn't. And Longoria is nothing. A woman with a fortune of Maybelline and...that's it. I guess there are less requirements for women when entering the Secret Service. As usual in a film like this the role of the Prez himself is nothing more than a tool, a token and is very badly written.

Clark Johnson's, he who gave us the equally as pathetic SWAT back in 2003, mechanical direction lacks any kind of signature and has all the visual sophistication of a cheap TV-movie. Douglas, Basinger and Sutherland look incredibly bored and phone-in their performances from afar. Eva Longoria, the most over-exposed woman of the 21st Century, is basically only in this to attract to the Desperate Housewives audience. Her role is 100% pointless and she does absolutely nothing to further the plot or add to character development. She barely has 2 lines to rub together. A truly shameless marketing ploy.

If you're a glutton for punishment then don't let me stop you. But it IS time and money you won't be getting back.