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Secret Service thriller 'Sentinel' doesn't look out for moviegoers

Robert Denerstein, Rocky Mountain News

Published April 21, 2006 at midnight

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If you believe the events that transpire in The Sentinel, a new thriller starring Michael Douglas, I've got a bridge - make that two bridges - I'd like to sell you. Implausible and overdirected, The Sentinel buries a fuzzy plot under a ton of frenzied action.

For a movie that's trying for headline urgency, The Sentinel feels shockingly out-of-touch - even with a few halfhearted references to terrorism and al-Qaida.

A reasonably strong cast headed by Douglas can't sell a thriller that ultimately rests on a conceit that's not developed well enough to make us believe it. All you need to know is that Douglas, as an ace Secret Service agent, winds up in a heap of trouble.

Through various plot twists, Douglas' Pete Garrison finds himself at the center of an investigation: His colleagues begin to suspect he's trying to assassinate the president (David Rasche). I won't reveal any more, but it's not exactly difficult to outguess the plot.

Kiefer Sutherland heads the supporting cast. His Agent Breckinridge used to be Douglas' best friend, but they're at odds over a personal matter.

That means they shout at each other a lot. Breckinridge winds up looking into the case with help from a bright new assistant (Eva Longoria of Desperate Housewives).

In the movie's most unusual bit of casting, Kim Basinger signs on as the first lady, a role she definitely wasn't born to play.

Once Garrison realizes he's not going to be able to settle matters reasonably, he takes off. He's on the run and must prove that other people are trying to kill the president. But even that bit of tension is dissipated a bit too early.

Although there's some sex in the plot, there's not much heat, and the abundant action isn't particularly well-done. It may be authentic, but the sight of secret agents using hidden radios that require them to talk into their shirt cuffs starts to look silly after a while.

If you don't buy it in the first place, it's difficult to get worked up about the movie's ponderously delivered observation: In 141 years, there hasn't been a traitor in the Secret Service.

Despite its problems, The Sentinel seems to want to express a certain pride of purpose. It strives to create a feeling of importance and has enough heavy-handed music to back its claim. Christophe Beck's score beats us over the head; maybe it's meant to drub us into the kind of numb submission that's required if we're to look past the script's many plot holes.

The whole business culminates at a G8 summit in Toronto, a city that is more known for its film festival than for shoot-'em-up intrigue. So, we're left with little more than reminders of how watchable Douglas can be.

Let's hope he soon finds himself a better project.

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