THE SENTINEL

Michael Douglas, Kiefer Sutherland, Kim Basinger, Eva Longoria

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

Cinema 2, Shangri-la Complex

After watching most of the talk shows where Kiefer Sutherland and Michael Douglas discussed this movie, you pretty much figured out the plot of this film. So all you had to do was watch to see if you could spot early on who exactly is the mole/traitor that betrays the Secret Service. Heck I figured it out within a few minutes that the film began. Yay! So all I had to do was watch it unfold, see how Michael Douglas compared to the leaner more fit Kiefer Sutherland. I also tried to get engrossed with Eva Longoria's character despite her being just a mere decorative piece, you know pretty to look at but hardly relevant in the grand scheme of things.

The plot did have a lot of loopholes with regards to the true motives of the bad guys, how the Secret Service agency can be easily compromised and why was the U.S. President such an easy target and they even threw in a unbelievable subplot involving the First Lady. Sure you do pose a lot of questions but at least it makes you think. Then you realize hey it is just a movie which was accordingly based on a book which of course I haven't read, let alone knew existed.
But anyways the good thing is it was suspenseful enough to grab my attention. You do get an overall idea on the intricacies of the Secret Service agency and realize it isn't merely a I-stand-behind-the-President-dressed-impeccably routine. It is a valiant job with a lot of risks involved.
Michael Douglas despite his visible wrinkles still projects well on screen, fits his role to a T. Of course, Kiefer Sutherland is a caricature of his role on 24 (which I've never watched, by the way) but he does have a well modulated voice and speaks quite clearly without mumbling his lines. The other supporting cast members all do well to make it a somewhat convincing film about the threat of terrorism and conspiracy theories.
A relevant topic in these precarious times.