Directed by Clark Johnson
Starring Michael Douglas, Kiefer Sutherland, Kim Basinger
108 minutes
Opens April 23, 2006
** stars out of five
Despite the film starting off feeling claustrophobic and small in a TV sort of way, thanks to close ups, jump cuts, movie camera shots, and film editing meant for those with attention deficit disorder, the film eventually resolves into a form of coherence that brings the film up to a mediocre standard.
On paper the concept of the movie sounds great – a thriller with the US secret service as a backdrop. Pete Garrison (Michael Douglas) a secret service agent gets tangled up into an assassination plot. He is then investigated by former coworker and former friend David Breckinridge (Kiefer Sutherland).
As interesting as these two characters may have been on paper, on the film they lacked substance. This was not a fault of the actors performance but the way in which the film was slapped together. It did not focus on either character until around the half way mark when we eventually settle in on Garrison and see what his character does in his dilemma. s the 108 minute film flickered by I noticed the person next to me looking at their watch a few times. I then noted I wasn’t watching the film either to notice this. I left the theatre feeling that the movie could have been better.8:13 PM 8/8/2011