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The Sentinel Review

Release Date: Jan 07, 1977
Rated: some intense action violence and a scene of sensuality
Runtime: 1 hr. 31 min.
Genres: Action/Adventure, Suspense/Thriller
Director:Clark Johnson
Cast:Michael Douglas, Kiefer Sutherland, Eva Longoria, Martin Donovan, Ritchie Coster. Full cast + crew

Movies.com Critics

2.0

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Other Critics provided by Metacritic.com

Critics scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

3.0

48

out of 100

Metascore^®
Mixed or average reviews
based on a weighted average of all
critic review scores.
30

out of 100

The New York Times Stephen Holden
The question is why. Why would a star of Michael Douglas's stature and intelligence attach himself to a Washington thriller as deeply ridiculous, suspense-free and potentially career-damaging as The Sentinel?

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30

out of 100

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern
I can't find much slack to cut the film, except to say that it's a potboiler cooked in an upscale Teflon pot.

42

out of 100

Entertainment Weekly
Looking back, 1993 was a golden age for thriller cinema. That was the year Hollywood hatched both "In the Line of Fire" and "The Fugitive," the two obvious and way superior antecedents for the very humdrum B-movie mash-up The Sentinel.

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50

out of 100

Variety Justin Chang
A half-hearted exercise in political paranoia, The Sentinel unravels its wrong-man scenario with business-like efficiency and an impressively jittery visual scheme, but falls far short of providing visceral or emotional thrills.

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60

out of 100

The Hollywood Reporter Kirk Honeycutt
A slick enough thriller about a presidential assassination attempt. It is also a rather mechanical, soulless affair that avoids politics or anything else that might clearly define who these characters are and why we should care.

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63

out of 100

USA Today Claudia Puig
Director Clark Johnson has an energetic style of filmmaking and a facile way with stunts and chase sequences. The result is a fairly stylish action thriller. We've seen plenty of suspense films in which a seemingly good guy is framed, so it helps when a director can pull off a few cinematic tricks to keep audiences on their toes.

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70

out of 100

Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan
An unassuming thriller, a nifty piece of genre filmmaking without frills or self-importance. It's a throwback, if you will, to the days of B pictures, when formula movies were made with a maximum of skill and a minimum of pretense.

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75

out of 100

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
It is encouraging that well-crafted thrillers are still being made about characters who have dialogue, identities, motives and clean shirts.

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See all The Sentinel reviews at Metacritic.com

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For Families provided by Common Sense Media

Iffy for 13+

Decent thriller with crisp performances. Teens OK.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this movie includes several high-octane action sequences, with multiple murders by shooting, knifing, and explosion. The violence can be aggressive and several bodies appear bloodied (including a man with his throat cut). Two characters engage in an adulterous affair, revealed when a third party takes high-tech surveillance photos. Some mild sexual references and language.

Families can talk about the violence that is so common in action movies. Is it realistic? Is it necessary to engage or thrill the audience?

The good stuff

Messages: The villains outnumber the heroes, but heroes are mostly stalwart (save for the adulterers).

What to watch for

Violence: Shootings (body appears from overhead, blood on sidewalk beneath; another appears with blood on chest), chasing/running, knifing, explosions (Marine One, Presidential helicopter, shot down by missile); major, extended shootout at end, with President trapped in hotel stairwell and multiple bodies dropped.
Sex: A woman's bottom appears in close-up as she walks; a brief, passionate sex scene, with woman's blouse unbuttoned and kissing/embracing; discussion of illicit affair between First Lady and her Secret Service protector.
Language: Minor language ("hell"), obscene finger gesture.
Consumerism: Starbucks, brand-stores in mall (Subway, Seattle's Best, Radio Shack).
Drinking, drugs and smoking: Ashtray filled with cigarette butts; question when an informant demands a million dollars: "What are you smoking?!" First Lady drinks whiskey.

Common Sense Media

An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology.

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Average Rating: 3.379

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