The General's Daughter (1999)

THE GENERAL'S DAUGHTER (1999) ***1/2

Starring: John Travolta, James Cromwell, Timothy Hutton, Madeleine Stowe, James Woods Director: Simon West 116 minutes 1999 Rated R (for graphic violence, rape & sexuality, nudity, and for language)

By Blake French--Based on comments by Richard Blink.

"The General's Daughter" is a masterfully suspenseful thriller in which the audience can only try to guess what the truth is. It's a mystery film, one that works in ways beyond your imagination. The film is so precise in its dialogue, so intelligent in its story, so tense in its confrontations, and so brutal in its subject matter that this can only be described as one of the years most intriguing movies.

John Travolta stars as a Warrant Officer named Paul Brenner, who, with his partner Sara, is assigned to investigate the brutal murder of Captain Elisabeth Campbell, a rising military star and specialist in Psychological Operations, who was found tied up and dead in the middle of a battle training field. The Provost Marshall, Colonel William Kent, has called his friend, Brenner, to examine the case.

However, this is not just any girl here that was killed. Brenner finds out that this is the daughter of retiring three-star general Joe Campbell. He is saddened and is willing to help the investigation in any way possible, but he has his own "army" rules that he demands Brenner to follow, which makes their search difficult.

Things deepen when the investigation leads to an apparent rape of the victim, as it does when the two detectives dig further into the case and undercover secrets that may point to any number of suspects right there in the base, all who appear suspicious and somehow are involved with the victim.

The performance by John Travolta may be Oscar worthy material it is so powerful. His scenes add punch and a jagged edge to everything in the movie. He is perfectly casted and recites his dialog in such a way that during his confronting scenes, the audience is on the edge of their seats and breathless. And not only that, but a comic touch of dramatic relief is provided by Travolta when the going gets too tough.

James Woods is another performance highlight in "The General's Daughter." He provides an uncertain slyness to his character. One that makes the audience become involved and intrigued. Also performing on a high is the humble hearted "Babe" farmer James Cormwell, as the General himself, with robust deepness and a character as far from "Babe's" as they get.

"The General's Daughter" is most certainly worth going to see at the theater, and if you decide to rent it instead of seeing it on the big screen that is still okay, but you will not receive the same effect. Who actually did rape and kill the general's daughter? I think you'll be surprised.

Brought to you by Paramount Pictures.

Fmovies: I saw this movie more than 18 months ago and have been pissed ever since because I wasted $7.00 to see it. A very bad movie with a huge amount of wasted talent. Travolta is mired in a role that is poorly written, but makes a valiant effort to recover from the script. Woods is always great (excluding "Killer") and I will watch any movie Stowe and Cromwell make. What really made me vote "2" for this movie was the way the military was presented. I'll be willing to bet that the Military Advisor didn't come to work most days. Soldiers driving HMMWVs off-duty in Dress Blues? Never! Changing a flat tire in those Blues? Are you serious? A CID agent telling a soldier that, "You're in the Army, you don't have any rights." Try reading the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Military people have more rights than American civilians. Soldiers on a live-fire ranges wearing soft caps instead of helmets would never happen. There are so many obvious falsehoods in the movie that there is not enough space to list them here. Having read several other reviews I can understand how other people, with no military service, could have overlooked the unrealistic portrayal of the Army and enjoyed the movie. But for me, with 23 years of active Army service, this was just a bad portrayal and a bad movie. Shame on the Military Advisor for letting the Director get away with so many falsehoods about a great institution.

I grew up in a military family and the first time I watched this film, it was more like a documentary to me than anything. I probably missed half this film in tears the first time I watched it. I've watched it now almost 50 times and it never looses it's luster. Each actor/actress was chosen perfectly for their part.....what a movie, it says everything even on 'mute'.

The General's Daughter fmovies. I was intrigued and kept guessing who and what all the way through. It kept me interested and on edge. Entertainment at its best. John Travolta keeps growing as an actor and Madeline Stowe is always excellent. A good story, well told that will keep you interested all the way through.

The General's Daughter may be flawed, but thanks to the acting, it's hardly a matter. John Travolta gives a good performance and James Woods gives an even better one, showing that one scene with back and forth dialougue can make one film pretty interesting. Still, a good mystery, with the plot set in good place for one of Travolta's best pics. A-

This was an excellent drama marred only by a little too much profanity and the normal Hollywood obsession of portraying the United States military as corrupt. (I have a news flash for filmmakers: there are some honest men in the military....really!!!) Feminism in the armed forces is another "agenda" item in this film.

There are many pluses, however, with this movie that should be noted. . The acting is excellent with a deep cast featuring John Travolta, James Cromwell, Madeline Stowe, Timothy Hutton, James Woods, Clarence Williams III, Leslie Stefanson and more.

I loved the dialog between Travola and Woods. It reminded me of the film noir films of the 1940s. The general's daughter, Stephanson, is a bit hard-edged in here but it's understandable when you find out why she acts the way she does. The characters the actors are all interesting and the story hooks you in right away. The cinematography is great. This looks stunning on DVD.

There are no lulls in this film and the action isn't overdone, either. Very entertaining.