Why are sinister Russian assassins who inexplicably haven’t experienced the Cold War thaw trying to kill America’s President? How were they able to infiltrate the highest levels of the Secret Service undetected? What’s a petite Desperate Housewife doing waving around a badge and a gun? What in the hell is Kiefer Sutherland doing in this movie? These are just a few questions raised in the bromidic striller (shorthand for “stupid thriller”) for which there are no reasonable answers.
While this movie was almost certainly shopped around Hollywood as being a cross between “The Fugitive” and “In The Line of Fire,” make no mistake — it’s inferior to both in every regard that matters.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 21, 2006. Read the original PDF.