The Sentinel
Director: Michael Winner
Cast: Cristina Raines, Ava Gardner, Chris Sarandon
September 22, 2015
Reviewed by Brian M. Sammons
Ah, the Satanic Panic of the 70s and 80s – so many good films came out of that time. And yeah, more than a few bad ones too. Thankfully, The Sentinel is one of the good ones, but it is also one of the films time seems to have forgotten. You never hear anyone mention this movie these days, and there’s a whole generation of horror fans that have never seen it, and that’s a damn shame. So three cheers then to the mighty Scream Factory for bringing this lost films back out and giving it a beautiful HD transfer. So I’m not going to be cagy about this one, I love this movie and highly recommend it. If you have never seen this flick and don’t know anything about it, do yourself a favor a just watch it. I’m sure you’ll like it. But should you need a little more to pull that trigger on the purchase gun, keep reading.
First off, The Sentinel is a who’s who of New York actors working in the 70s. From old pros to a gaggle of young Turks on the cusp of making it big: Chris Sarandon, Cristina Raines, John Carradine, José Ferrer, Ava Gardner, Arthur Kennedy, Burgess Meredith, Sylvia Miles, Eli Wallach, Christopher Walken, Jerry Orbach, Beverly D’Angelo, Tom Berenger, William Hickey, Jeff Goldblum and more. If you are looking for star power, it is hard to beat this movie, so you know right from the start this flick delivers the acting goods. The direction is no slouch, either, being delivered by the man that gave us Death Wish, The Mechanic, and The Big Sleep. So the bona fides are legit, but what about the actual movie?
Cristina Raines is a young woman with a tragic past looking for a new apartment in New York. She finds one that seems too good to be true, and surprise, surprise, it is. Strange things start happening to her once she moves in, and naturally the first thing the audience will think of while watching this for the first time is that the apartment is haunted, and it sort of is, but it’s actually much worse than that. A young Chris Sarandon plays Christina’s lawyer boyfriend who is helpful, loving, understanding, and perfect in every way…or is he? Well, a couple of New York cops don’t think so, but I digress. Boyfriend dearest starts looking into a wee mystery as his girlfriend starts to unravel, claiming to have birthday parties with people who aren’t there, and then killing someone with a knife, only to have the body disappear afterwards. And then there’s the creepy, reclusive priest living on the top floor of the apartment building, the one who is always staring out the window, Norman Bates-like, despite being blind. And what’s this about the Catholic Church secretly owning the entire building?
But enough teasers, let’s get to the new goodies. Now while many might have forgotten this movie, Scream Factory sure didn’t, and showed it quite a bit of love with this release. First and foremost there’s the great looking transfer they gave it. If that wasn’t enough, there are quite a few extras on here. There is an impressive three audio commentaries for this movie. The first one is with writer/producer Jeffrey Konvitz, the next is with writer/producer/director Michael Winner, and the last is with actress Cristina Raines. There is also an interview with assistant director Ralph S. Singleton that lasts 24 minutes. There is a collection of B&W press photos and a collection of lobby cards and posters. Various movie stills, TV spots, and a theatrical trailer round out the special features.
The Sentinel is a 70s classic that deserves much more attention than what it gets today. If you have already seen this movie, then you know that. If you have missed it until now, it’s time to fix that huge oversight, and this new Blu-ray is a great way to do it. Consider it highly recommended.
