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

A man who has devoted himself to serving the leader of the free world is accused of plotting against him in this thriller. Pete Garrison (Michael Douglas) is a veteran Secret Service agent who has had a long and distinguished career helping protect the president of the United States. David Breckinridge (Kiefer Sutherland) is a fellow Secret Service agent who learned most of what he knows from Garrison and holds him in great respect. When intelligence data suggests that there is a mole within the Secret Service who is part of a plot to assassinate President Ballentine (David Rasche), Garrison launches an investigation to ferret out the rogue agent, and asks Breckinridge to go over the evidence with a fine-toothed comb. Breckinridge is shocked when the clues point to Garrison as the traitor within the Secret Service, but his sense of duty compels him to see that his former mentor is placed under arrest. Garrison eludes his captors and struggles to prove his innocence while tracking down...

---

Plot Keywords:

cell phone trace | shooting a woman | cell phone | scene of the crime | frame up | 

---

Taglines:

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

---

Genres:

Action | Crime | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 April 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

El centinela

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$60,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$14,367,854, 23 April 2006

Gross USA:

$36,280,697

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$77,920,346

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox, Regency Enterprises, Epsilon Motion Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min 107 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Black and White Black and White (archive footage) Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This major Hollywood feature film production was made and released approximately thirty years after the another major Hollywood feature film production of the same name, The Sentinel (1977), which had first debuted around twenty-nine years earlier. This later Sentinel movie was from the 20th Century Fox film studio whilst the earlier Sentinel picture was from the Universal Pictures studio and was a horror movie.

---

Goofs

When Pete takes a phone call outside the Mayflower Hotel and the caller tells him to go to Massachusetts Avenue, then walk to 12th street, Pete goes the wrong way down Connecticut Avenue. He walks toward L Street. Massachusetts Avenue is in the opposite direction, up Connecticut Avenue.

---

Quotes

1st Lady Sarah Ballentine: [to Agent Breckinridge] Pete Garrison and I are having an affair. Please, have a seat...and that's for you. You know, I don't know all the evidence you have against him, but I do know why he failed the lie detector test. And I know why he was in the coffee shop looking for someone.

---

Connections

References Rambo III (1988)

---

Soundtracks

If You Know Love
Written by Molly Johnson and Steve Mackinnon
Performed by Molly Johnson
Courtesy of Anthem/Universal

User Reviews

Great potential ruined by terrible screenplay

"The Sentinel" is an average-at-best action drama that does not come remotely close to reaching its potential. The entire movie feels rushed, with random details about each character's past thrown at you in a poorly-written screenplay. The revelation of the true bad guy in conspiracy films normally elicits at least some form of surprise or intrigue; instead, in "The Sentinel" the character is far too obvious and the scene reveals a tangential and unexplained back story that should instead be much more central to the plot.

The rush to cram details in every fleeting moment ruins this movie. For example, without spoiling the film, the culminating chase of the movie is ruined by a ridiculous proclamation of certain password to get by people; the ridiculousness of the situation takes away from what should be a tense finish.

This review is not meant to be overly disparaging; the film received 5/10 because it is a moderately entertaining summer movie and I did not regret going to see it. However, the skeleton plot seemed to be trying too hard and the characters were not well-utilized. Eva Longoria is very attractive though.