The Sentinel

The Sentinel has quietly become one of the more dependable crime dramas currently available in Australia on Disney Plus, and in the UK on Amazon Prime Video. The runtime earns every minute, with nothing here that feels like padding. A 6/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Michael Douglas sets the tone, and the ensemble matches it scene for scene. Put it on tonight on Disney Plus and see for yourself.

Whatever else is competing for your attention this week, The Sentinel is worth clearing space for. The plotting gives The Sentinel its backbone, but it is the characters you come back for. Veteran Secret Service agent Pete Garrison investigates a colleague's murder and is subsequently framed as a mole in an assassination attempt on the President due to the machinations of a blackmailer who knows the secret he is hiding. Disgraced, dismissed, and now a fugitive with two relentless federal investigators hot on his heels, Garrison must both clear his name and save the president from assassination. Michael Douglas and Kiefer Sutherland lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 2006. The Sentinel is at its best in the quiet scenes between the plot beats, where the character work actually happens. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

If you cannot walk away from a good mystery, The Sentinel will keep you hooked. It rewards viewers regardless of what else is in their watch history. A contained runtime means every scene is doing real work. Michael Douglas carries scenes that would sink a lesser production. The resolution feels inevitable rather than arbitrary, which is rarer than it sounds.