81
Metascore
21 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100San Francisco ChronicleEdward GuthmannSan Francisco ChronicleEdward GuthmannBoorman enlivens The General with a number of scenes, like that one, that play against the con ventions of crime movies. He and Gleeson, both of whom were denied the Oscar nominations they deserve for this film, do exemplary work and give us one of the liveliest, smartest and most surprising films in a long time.
- 90The New York TimesJanet MaslinThe New York TimesJanet MaslinMr. Boorman, working in top form with a keenly acerbic overview, has written the film so sharply that the facts speak well for themselves.
- 90Time Out LondonTime Out LondonAll the performances are impressive, but Gleeson and Voight are especially memorable, lending an almost tragic air of inexorability to Cahill and Kenny's cat-and-mouse games.
- 90VarietyDerek ElleyVarietyDerek ElleyRarely has a veteran filmmaker rejuvenated his career to such startling effect as John Boorman with The General, a fresh-off-the-slab biopic of maverick Irish crime lord Martin Cahill that both challenges and entertains the audience at a variety of levels, as well as reviving the vitality of the helmer's earliest, mid-'60s pics.
- 88Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertBoorman's film is shot in wide-screen black and white, and as it often does, black and white emphasizes the characters and the story, instead of setting them awash in atmosphere. And Boorman's narrative style has a nice offhand feel about it.
- 80SlateDavid EdelsteinSlateDavid EdelsteinBoorman pays a price for his neutrality: The General isn't an emotional grabber. But on its own terms it's nearly perfect. The magic is there but below the surface.
- Credit director John Boorman with bringing a life like Cahill's to the screen with such acuity that it's easy to overlook the many familiar elements of his mobster movie.
- 75TV Guide MagazineKen FoxTV Guide MagazineKen FoxBoorman's original script is razor sharp and very funny, and Gleeson's portrayal is nothing short of brilliant
- 50Film ThreatFilm ThreatBoorman’s movies are usually about the repercussions of violence (Point Blank, Deliverance, Excalibur, etc.) but he recreates Cahill as something of a victim of circumstance. Cahill should have been played by Lee Marvin, not by some fat teddy bear of a man like Brendan Gleeson. It’s too bad Marvin isn’t still around, to at least knock some sense into his old friend, Boorman.
- 50Chicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumChicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumIt's extremely competent, shot in 'Scope (Boorman's best screen format), and though it kept me absorbed it failed to win me over.