Foreigners want to assassinate the president, there’s a traitor in the Secret Service, and the first lady is having a fling. It sounds like a recipe for an exciting movie. The Sentinel fails to deliver as much excitement as the premise promises, but does supply a few interesting moments.

Michael Douglas stars as Secret Service agent, Pete Garrison, who is advanced in years and brimming with issues. He took a bullet during the Reagan administration and is well liked by his peers with the exception of an investigator played by Keifer Sutherland.

When we first meet Garrison, he treats his job at the White House like a fun-time frolic through a golf course clubhouse. He greets his peers casually, money is exchanged over a bet, Bill Clinton would turn red watching these fellas operate. To cap off a job poorly done, Mr. Garrison is engaging in some intimate, diplomatic relations with the first lady. Although what Garrison did when he took the bullet meant for Reagan is admirable, his total lack of respect for his job makes him a loathsome figure.

We finally see that Garrison has the goods to be a Secret Service agent when he raises his game as the pressure is put on by investigators. Not only does he manage to stay one step ahead of his pursuers, he is able to crack the plot to assassinate the president.

In total, Michael Douglas gives a credible performance even though it seems peculiar to have someone of his advanced age performing the work that seems more suited to someone a little younger- maybe Keifer Sutherland should have played the role of Garrison and Douglas could have been the agitating investigator. Keifer’s role is one dimensional and fails to push him to his full potential. The comparisons to 24 are sure to ensue, but don’t do it, that role is far more diversified than this one.

Eva Longoria appears as the green field agent assigned to work with Sutherland. She proves herself equal to the task of starring opposite older, proven actors; it’s a shame the role isn’t more complex as she certainly could have given the audience a more meaningful character.

While The Sentinel is an enjoyable romp, it could have been more. The assassination plot is transparent, the characters underdeveloped, and few consequences for treacherous behavior