User Reviews

A beautiful army officer is murdered in compromising circumstances that the fort MacCallum officials would rather keep quite. John Travolta and Madeleine Stowe are the investigators into the murder, and it's seems that someone wants to keep the truth hidden.

Travolta and Stowe both capture the necessary elements of their characters and they are well supported by James Cromwell, Timothy Hutton, Clarence Williams II and James Woods.

This suspenseful mystery thriller delivers the disturbing truths of the story very well, it does have its flaws, but they are largely forgivable due to the captivating delivery and direction.

7/10

THE GENERAL'S DAUGHTER is movie that has been done before. But it knows this and is able to look past it's cliché's and have fun with the genre. A cop(Travolta) is called to an army base to investigate the death of a general's daughter after she has been raped and beat to death and left naked and tied to the ground with tent stakes. It's a ghastly sight and everyone wants him to get to the bottom of it as soon as possible. The problem is that EVERYONE has something to hide or is hiding someone who has something to hide. This has an all-star cast and they are terrific. The story is well written and the cast has some fun with it along the way. Director Simon West knows how to tell the story with a slight tongue and cheek flavor and still maintain the very serious nature of the subject matter. The action sequences are very well choreographed and the climax is pretty intense. So if you are looking for a familiar but really good, intense, and exciting action murder mystery THE GENERAL'S DAUGHTER is well worth seeing. No matter if the critics thumbed their elitist nose's at it. They're loss is our average Joe's gain. ***1/2 out of 4.

John Travolta stars as Paul Brenner, a charismatic man in the Army's C.I.D. unit. Paul is called upon to solve the strange rape & murder of the title character, Elizabeth Campbell (Leslie Stefanson). Paul gets paired with a rape investigator named Sara Sunhill (Madeleine Stowe), who just happens to be a former flame of his. As Paul and Sara work the clues, they discover a string of characters who all have their secrets to hide. And it becomes apparent that the Army's main concern is keeping things quiet and maintaining the public image.

While far from a great story, this is still an absorbing one. There's a very tragic and somber arc that stems from the Elizabeth Campbell character being a *very* troubled individual. The story isn't always too believable, but director Simon West keeps the plot progressing in competent enough fashion, with a couple of twists along the way. The more serious and sordid elements are sometimes contrasted with not terribly amusing banter between Travolta and Stowe.

The exemplary supporting cast is the main reason to watch. Travolta lays on the goofy charm a bit much at first (and does a deliberately bad Southern accent for too long a time), but as the movie goes on, the better his performance gets. He and Stowe are able to create some chemistry. Stefanson is effective as the victim, and James Cromwell as her general father is completely convincing. Clarence Williams III also scores strongly as the generals' comrade, who's loyal to the core. The real standout is the always dynamic James Woods, as Elizabeths' mentor; the scenes where he and Travolta are attempting to outwit each other are just about the best in the movie.

Well shot (by Peter Menzies Jr.) and decently paced, "The General's Daughter" manages to be watchable for a little under two hours.

Seven out of 10.

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.

... that's a central question in this movie. She's been murdered and the key seems to lie in the past. She's the daughter of a prominent general who's on the fast track to a political career - so resolving the case is a big deal. Travolta and Stowe play the military investigators of the case.

This is an entertaining movie to watch - mostly because John Travolta is really interesting in his role. His character is fast-thinking, intelligent, focused and probing. The character dialog is really good too. James Woods is also fun to watch as a non-cooperative psi-ops officer.

The story is pretty faced paced and anyone who likes CSI-types shows, or just plain mystery-type movies should be pleased with this one.

It is a must seen movie :

• First time viewer will be surprised by the ending. - second time viewer will be a woman considering that the road is still long to fairness and that everyday is a challenge.

• Relation between daughter and fathers are exploited on a very personal level.

Travolta is very convincing and suitable in uniform.

Inspiring film for those who see it : if the message does not hit you, it will leave an impact.

Big plus is the sound track very adapted to the story.

LyLy

Overly talkative and overly complex, "The General's Daughter" just doesn't know when to quit. Still, there's no denying it is a well-made, well-acted effort from director Simon West (Con Air, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider). John Travolta stars as Warrant Officer Paul Brenner, determined to get to the bottom of the murder of a respected base commander's daughter. Of course very little is as it initially seems as Brenner peels back one layer of lies after another -- some surprising, others less so. The final truth is so bizarre and disturbing that even the most experienced viewers won't guess it. More focus and a shorter running time would have helped this one.

I have developed a large DVD library over the years, some 1,000 today! There are only a few which I will see more than once or twice. And The General's Daughter is one I keep seeing with pleasure. You will have read many reviews, scattering ratings from 1 to 10, as usual, but with a poor average rate. I personally like the movie for its excellent tempo and accompanying music. Travolta, Cromwell and Stowe fit their respective role perfectly. The global integration of filming, dialogs, acting and plot come out exactly right. So of course I try to understand why the rating is so poor. I have read criticism regarding the poor adaptation from the book, the way the army is depicted so unjustly, the average performance of Travolta and his annoying southern accent and more. Well, we have the right to our choices and own judgment. On a closing note, I wish people would stop repeating the plot in their reviews: it's boring, redundant and does not provide a bit of film analysis.

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-

I can't believe this movie is rated only 6.3 on IMDb. In the mystery and crime genre alone I would personally rate it at same level as as Vertigo and Pscycho. It's direction, acting and plot are all top notch, cutting deep in your mind and psych. This is one of those movies that draws viewers in and doesn't leave them even after it ends. Some people say that its end is a little hammy, but by the time it reaches there, the movie has already done a stellar work. In my opinion it is also one of the best acting performances by John Travolta. And the supporting ensemble is equally good. This is one of them movies that deserves to be part of every collection.

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.

The General's Daughter turned out to be the kind of movie we like to watch, in that there are mysteries to be solved and as a viewed you are continually adjusting your theories.A central theme is how a military coverup can obscure the truth. However, Travolta's character will have none of that, using all the cunning and "bully" tactics at his disposal to finally get to the truth. There is a good moral, about betrayal of trust in family relationships. Much of the dialog is flawed, overly melodramatic at times. However the main characters, played by such established actors as James Woods, Daniel VonBargen, John Travolta, Madeline Stowe, Tim Hutton, Jam4es Cromwell, come across very well. I rate it 7 of 10.

Solid 90s military drama-thriller that went a whole lot darker than I thought it would. Nothing amazing, but definitely worth a fair shake. Travolta was a lot of fun in this.

Which is good, as I'm more a fan of mystery than military. I mean it has all the ranks and structures of a military movie, but that's about where it ends. The rest are clues, stories, witnesses, and 2 good detectives - who work HARD to get down to the truth. My kind of movie:

HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

1999's "The General's Daughter" takes place at and around a coastal Georgia military base. John Travolta plays an Army investigator who teams up with Madeleine Stowe, a woman he once had an affair with (yeah right), to solve the ugly murder of the daughter of the commanding officer, herself a captain.

Whether you like Travolta or not, there's no denying his star power. He easily carries this film as the protagonist from beginning to end. The real cast highlight for me, however, is the stunning Madeleine Stowe (remember her from 1992's excellent "Last of the Mohicans"?). Throughout most of the film Madeleine wears a white sleeveless shirt and form-fitting tan-ish slacks; she's just spellbinding.

The film is rated R and for good reason. There are numerous scenes of a naked woman staked out spread-eagled, both alive and dead. Besides murder, the picture features overt elements of S & M and gang rape. This may turn some potential viewers away, but the film is worth sticking with if you can brace yourself for the sordid aspects. How so? Because "The General's Daughter" powerfully shows that sexual abuse must be addressed and not shoved under the rug. Inner wounds must be properly bound and healed, not dismissed with a casual shrug.

My wife and I recently saw a fascinating documentary on prostitutes. I never could understand how a woman could have sexual relations (especially oral sex) with some dirty, smelly sleazebag for money. It's gag-inducing to me. With one exception every prostitute interviewed confessed to being sexually abused while growing up. The abuse was never properly addressed and, consequently, no real inner-healing could take place. The abuse literally damned the women to a sordid life of self-loathing and self-destruction. My heart goes out to them!

The sleazy sexual elements are so in-your-face in "The General's Daughter" that it's hard to look past it to the meat of the story. The unaddressed sexual abuse of the General's daughter leads to a promiscuous and deviant lifestyle, resulting -- of course -- in misery and (ultimately) destruction.

Travolta's character briefly knew the general's daughter before her murder. What compels him to solve the murder and enact justice & vengeance on the direct and indirect perpetrators (aside from the fact that it's his job) is that he clearly saw a genuine gleam of beauty and life in her. Reviewer Steven Quan understandably objects that, if she was as horribly abused as depicted in the story, she wouldn't be so vibrant and perky. But, nevertheless, this vibrancy and inner beauty is authentic. Travolta knows it because he experienced it. It's a glimpse of who she really was or could be, a glimmer of her potential as a woman and a human being. True, most of it may merely be a public veneer, an act she hides behind, but the flimsy root is REAL. Unfortunately it's overshadowed by her raw torment within, inner pain so great that it compels her to ridiculously radical actions.

When Travolta finally figures out what and who destroyed the inner beauty and potential of this young woman his righteous anger is potent and palpable.

I heard the story was loosely based on real-life events, but can't verify it.

The picture was filmed on location in coastal Georgia, around Savannah. There's also a breathtaking shot of West Point, NY, where a small portion of the story takes place.

CONCLUSION: "The General's Daughter" is more than just a meaningless detective mystery/thriller. It's thought-provoking and delivers a powerful message. Some won't get it. Some are unable to get it. Others can't get past the sleazy elements. For the rest of us it's a worthwhile, heavy and potent piece of filmmaking. Travolta is at his charismatic best and Madeleine Stowe is spellbinding. I'd give it a higher rating, but the implausible Hollywoodisms stack-up toward the end and the revelation of the murderer and aftermath is weak.

GRADE: B+

A good quality enjoyable movie.

Travolta is well cast for the film and gives us a high quality performance.

Establishes a nice atmosphere and is a good meaty story that you can settle in and have fun with.

Strong and intriguing plot based on a novel, how the whole facts were inside the US Army probably the writer inspired in something alike that should happened in the past, the picture works and hold you for a clever screenplay, the main cast carry on the story as good thriller, intense for a type of a so daring subject, John Travolta delivers all as top billing actor and James Woods has a true remarkable performance and the unexpected stand the audience until to the final!!!

Resume:

First watch: 2001 / How many: 2 / Source: Cable TV-DVD / Rating: 7

'The General's Daughter' was a slightly above average flick until the very end. Sadly, at this point the film makers decided to make it a propaganda film by shamefully manipulating the audience.

'The General's Daughter' is completely a work of fiction – it is entirely made up. However, the film makers insert a final message giving the viewer the impression that it was a true story. They follow this, and reveal the purpose of their dishonesty, with a short endorsement for women in the military. In doing this they ceased to be film makers and became mere propagandists, dishonest manipulators who lie to the commoners for the 'greater good'. In my opinion, in doing so, they embarrassed both themselves and the art of film making.

It is completely moral to take a true story and 'dramatize' it for a moral or ideological reason. It is also moral to create an entirely fictional story for the same reason. However, it is unethical to create a fictional story and then mislead the viewer into believing it is true just to propagate one's ideology. It is this sin that the film makers are guilty of.

You may say, 'Well, everyone knows it's from a novel'. Oh, please….. There are so many people who don't read books at all and whose only source of knowledge is the movies or TV. To these people, movies and TV are the Voice of Authority. The film makers are well aware of this. Perhaps it was this awareness that led them to this manipulation…….

"The General's Daughter" is sort of half-good, half-not. It has a good plot and all, but it probably would have been better had they cast someone a little less well known in the lead role (John Travolta's presence nearly turns the whole thing into a star-driven vehicle). And of course, there's lots of long speeches (often shouted) about the ramifications of the events portrayed. Other than that, it's a worthy look into cover-ups in the military - I suspect that what this movie portrays is moderate compared to reality.

So, if you can ignore John Travolta's overbearing presence, it's a movie worth seeing. Also starring Madeleine Stowe, James Cromwell, Timothy Hutton, James Woods, Clarence Williams III and even a cameo by John Frankenheimer.

I wonder whether or not they realized that they gave James Cromwell's character the same name as the famous mythologist.

Also offensive, sick and very far removed from reality.

I mean ten West Point cadets sadistically gang rape a co-ed cadet for hours while brutally beating her up, and the Army decides, on a balance of considerations, to just forget it? Huh? And then the general himself, loving father of the girl, tells her to buck up and pretend it didn't happen? What? I mean there are some sociopathic guys at the Point, no doubt, but ten sickies in the same class stupid and sadistic enough to do something like that because they are jealous of her? The Army might well try to cover it up, but they sure as hell would want to know who did it. And it gets worse. The lifestyle that the daughter adopts because of this horror and the insane way she seeks to rid herself of the memory is like something dreamed up by a serial killer screen writer on a bad day. And then, after treating us to this nightmare of degrading misogyny, the authors, looking for a saving grace, run some closing words down the screen telling us that now there are over 200,000 women serving proudly in the military, as though perhaps we ought to be thankful for the events depicted in this film for that fact, or maybe they hoped to create the illusion that something like those events actually happened!

I'm taking names: the director is Simon West, novel by Nelson DeMille, screenplay by Christopher Bertolini and William Goldman, who, alas, has seen better days. Here's an example of how trite some of the dialogue is. Travola's character is a seasoned veteran who actually fought in Vietnam and now is a warrant officer. He is told by Col. Fowler, another even more seasoned veteran, in dead seriousness that there are three ways to do things, "the right way, the wrong way, and the army way." Wow, that was original probably a hundred years ago, the sort of wisdom usually handed out by drill instructors to Private E-1's during basic training, not something a colonel might say to a warrant officer. Or, here's another. Travolta, recalling how as a raw recruit in Vietnam, he was by chance comforted by the general who asked where he was from, and when he heard from Boston, told him that the Red Sox had won the day before. The sound track soars and the camera pans to the faces of Col. Fowler and Madeleine Stowe to show us they know how uplifting and inspirational that was for the frightened young man.

But don't blame the actors for this travesty. John Travolta, who begins the movie as an undercover sergeant, put a lot of (somewhat stupid) energy into his part, including a funny southern accent, and obviously had a good time. And you can see that James Woods tried hard to infuse some sparkle into the insipid lines and to bring some depth into the shallow and cliché-ridden character he plays. James Cromwell as the general was as ugly as sin and twice as despicable, while Madeleine Stowe looked good enough to ravish. And I thought Leslie Stefanson did a commendable job as the incomprehensible daughter.

Bottom line: a new place in hell has been set aside for the purveyors of this sort of sado/sexploitation thriller We'll call it the Griffin Mill Screening Room (after the Machiavellian producer from The Player (1992)), a place in which the producers, the director and the writers are forced to view their concoction until the evaporation of the last black hole in space or the Big Crunch, whichever comes first.

(Note: Over 500 of my movie reviews are now available in my book "Cut to the Chaise Lounge or I Can't Believe I Swallowed the Remote!" Get it at Amazon!)