Three star general, three star movie

"The General's Daughter"
Overall Rating: ***


I've commented before that it's rare for movie audiences to applaud at the end of a film. So far this year, it's happened three times at movies I've been reviewing. The first was "October Sky;" it was that great. The second was "Star Wars: Episode 1:" whether or not it was that good was a moot point--the "Star Wars" fans who filled the house would have applauded anything new with Obi-Wan in it--though in the end, the "Episode 1" was very good, too. The three or four people who clapped after "The General's Daughter" are a bit harder to explain: it was a good film, but not great.

The Campbells seem to be the model of a military family. General "Fighting Joe" Campbell (James Cromwell) is about to retire: after commanding Fort MacCallum, he is a likely candidate for vice president. His daughter, Captain Elisabeth Campbell (Leslie Stefanson), seems to be a model officer--an instructor in psychological operations, to be specific--and a charming lady. So, when Capt. Campbell is found raped and murdered, it's up to warrant officer Paul Brenner (John Travolta) to find the truth.

"The General's Daughter" is an interesting thriller--but not truly a great movie in any respect. The story easily holds your interest, but doesn't do anything beyond that. Some elements are handled well, some poorly. What happened to Capt. Campbell at West Point is not mere trivia for the film, it's key to the plot--and it fits in perfectly. However, as well as the plot is set up, there are two major flaws. One involves a subplot--apparently intended to introduce a character--that doesn't go anywhere. The other involves the real killer: why he did it makes sense after it's explained, but if there was any clue to his guilt before, I didn't catch it--so it blind-sided me. Sometimes, the movie is subtle: Capt. Campbell flirts with Brenner the day before she dies--this seems to be merely make the case personal, but when you think about the character as you know her at the film's end, there's something else to it. In stark contrast, you have Sara Sunhill (Madeleine Stowe); she is investigating the murder with Brenner and apparently had an affair with Brenner some years ago--but she doesn't seem to be there for any reason. The film is also very fast-paced, but this is a two edged sword: while it helps build the suspense and accentuates the time limit on Brenner's investigation (explained in the film), it also makes it easier to miss things you need to see.

The acting is the same as the writing. Again, good, but nothing to write home about. Travolta's character is central to the script, but unfortunately, his character isn't deep and undergoes no transformation. A passing performance by Travolta means nothing since there is nothing more complex than a strong-arm interrogation--blame the writers more than the actor. Both Campbells are more interesting and complicated characters; James Cromwell and Leslie Stefanson deliver star-caliber supporting performances. James Woods--who plays Colonel Moore, Capt. Campbell's commanding officer--is also excellent. The excellent supporting cast, however, can't save the show.

On a technical level, there are some nice touches. I liked the handling of the final scene, for instance (they opened a hanger door, literally shedding light on several characters and a room). There are also problems. When Brenner and Sunhill watch an amateur porn movie, the picture is supposed to be grainy (beyond the "amateur" nature, I'm sure it was made grainy to tone down its content as well)--but it was so grainy that I had to take Brenner's word on someone he said he saw in the video.

If you ever leave the kids home because of a movie's content, leave them home for this one. There is significant, graphic violence including a very graphic rape scene. There is also pervasive sexual content including numerous shots with nudity. Mentioning the frequent strong language and occasional questionable actions by the hero fall under the category of "that too," but don't help for family content. If I were rating this film for the MPAA, however, I'd have given it an "NC-17."

On balance, "The General's Daughter" is a good film--but don't go AWOL to see it.

Title: "The General's Daughter"
Release date: June 18, 1999

MPAA rating: R
Overall rating: ***

Aprox. run time: 116 min.
Director: Simon West
Writer: Nelson DeMille (novel), Christopher Bertolini, William Goldman
Stars: John Travolta, Madeleine Stowe

Original URL: http://www.geocities.com/reviewsbyjohn/Gen_dtr.htm
Added to blog site: 7/28/09