"Secret Serviceable"
by Scott Mantz

"The Sentinel"
Michael Douglas,
Kiefer Sutherland, Eva Longoria
Directed by Clark Johnson

All the president's men! Kiefer Sutherland and Michael Douglas go head-to-head in "The Sentinel"

A mildly engaging political thriller that boldly goes where many have gone before, “The Sentinel” still represents a welcome return to form for Michael Douglas after a 3-year absence from the big screen.  Then again, who could blame him for taking some time off – if you were married to Catherine Zeta-Jones, you wouldn’t want to go to work either!

But this is just the type of role that Douglas can play with his eyes closed – a seasoned, authoritative, charismatic professional whose dark personal secrets threaten to unravel his structured world.  In this case, he plays Pete Garrison, a veteran Secret Service agent who, even after decades on the job, is still at the top of his game and is well-liked and respected by his colleagues.

That is, all except David Breckinridge (Kiefer Sutherland), an investigative agent who used to be his protégé until Garrison supposedly had an affair with his now ex-wife.  But that’s the least of his problems when a fellow agent is murdered, leading to speculation that someone within the agency is conspiring to assassinate the president.  With all the evidence stacked against him, and with his former confidant leading the investigation, Garrison has no choice but to take to the streets in a desperate attempt to clear his name, capture the real mole and save the president’s life.

Though based on the novel by Gerald Petievich, screenwriter George Nolfi (“Ocean’s Twelve”) and director Clark Johnson (“S.W.A.T.”) have merely fashioned up a decent, but somewhat sub-par cross between “In the Line of Fire” and “The Fugitive.”  The action scenes are engaging and expertly staged, but motives behind them are a little more convoluted and contrived.  And some of the subplots – particularly the one involving Garrison’s old injury after taking a bullet for the president – seem underdeveloped where they could have added more complexity to the characters.

But there’s something to be said about a thriller that gives great actors a chance to sink their teeth into their roles, which is what makes “The Sentinel” more entertaining than not.  In watching Douglas squirm his way through being blackmailed while harboring a secret that involves the First Lady (played with strength and poise by the beautiful Kim Basinger), it’s hard not to think back to some of his more famous performances in thrillers like “Fatal Attraction,” “Basic Instinct” and “Disclosure.”

And it’s fun watching Douglas go head-to-head with Kiefer Sutherland, whom he first worked with back in 1990 when he produced Sutherland in “Flatliners.”  After going through the wringer every week on TV’s nail-biting drama “24,” Sutherland channels that same energy and proves a worthy foil to Douglas, although their game of cat-and-mouse will surely draw too many comparisons to “The Fugitive.”  And in her first big screen performance since gaining a ridiculous amount of fame on TV’s “Desperate Housewives,” Eva Longoria does just fine in an otherwise underdeveloped supporting role as Sutherland’s eager partner.

So flaws aside, “The Sentinel” proves that Douglas still knows how to pick ‘em.  Yes, you will definitely feel like you’ve seen it before, but it’s still a serviceable thriller that fits the bill as an entertaining night out at the movies.  And as long as he keeps making films like this, here’s hoping that Douglas doesn’t take another long break anytime soon.

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