Watch out for The Sentinel

Michael Douglas and Kiefer Sutherland face off against each other in the Secret Service thriller “The Sentinel.” Douglas plays Pete Garrison, a respected veteran agent. His loyalty is above reproach ? he took a bullet in the attempt on Ronald Reagan’s life. Now 61, he has moved down a notch, protecting the first lady.

Garrison’s former friend and colleague, David Breckinridge (Sutherland), is in charge of investigating the countless assassination plots against the president. The most threatening of his cases involves a Secret Service agent on duty in the White House. Since no one knows who the traitor is, every agent gets questioned.

Only one agent ? Garrison ? lies during questioning, and he becomes the prime suspect. He is hiding something, and Breckinridge jumps to the conclusion he’s in on the assassination plot. As Breckinridge chases after Garrison to arrest him, Garrison chases after the true identity of the traitor.

The suspense starts building early in the film when the president visits an inner-city school. As the agents whisk the president and his wife in and out of the elementary school, sweep for bombs, frisk suspicious onlookers and scan the crowds for would-be assassins, the viewer wonders how anyone could get close enough to the president to kill him.

Unless, of course, the assassin is working from the inside. The action holds the viewer’s attention for most of the film, despite some obvious holes in the plot. For instance, no suspects other than Garrison are being sought for the planned assassination. And, despite being an experienced agent, Garrison tampers with evidence that could clear him of the charges.

Kim Bassinger and Eva Longoria play supportive roles as, respectively, the first lady and a rookie Secret Service agent. Their acting is fine, but the characters they play start out strong and end up weakened. The first lady, Sarah, changes from a civic-minded politician’s wife to a bored, trapped housewife. “The Sentinel” for the most part delivers on the action and story line. Its popular cast of actors and the backstage look at the Secret Service makes the movie worth a look either in the theater or at home.