The General's Daughter (1999)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Simon West

Writers (WGA):

Nelson DeMille (novel)
Christopher Bertolini (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

18 June 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller | War

Tagline:

Go behind the lies.

Plot:

When the daughter of a well-known and well-respected base commander is murdered, an undercover detective is summoned to look into the matter and finds a slew of cover-ups at West Point.

Plot Keywords:

General | Detective | Army | Captain | Investigation

Awards:

3 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

John Travolta	...	Warr. Off. Paul Brenner
Madeleine Stowe	...	Warr. Off. Sara Sunhill
James Cromwell	...	Lt. Gen. Joseph Campbell
Timothy Hutton	...	Col. William Kent
Leslie Stefanson	...	Capt. Elisabeth Campbell
Daniel von Bargen	...	Police Chief Yardley
Clarence Williams III	...	Col. George Fowler
James Woods	...	Col. Robert Moore
Peter Weireter	...	Belling
Mark Boone Junior	...	Dalbert Elkins
John Beasley	...	Col. Donald Slesinger
Boyd Kestner	...	Capt. Jake Elby
Brad Beyer	...	Capt. Bransford
John Benjamin Hickey	...	Capt. Goodson
Rick Dial	...	Cal Seivers

Also Known As:

Wehrlos - Die Tochter des Generals (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated R for graphic images relating to sexual violence including a strong rape scene, some perverse sexuality, nudity and language

Runtime:

116 min

Country:

Germany | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:16 | USA:R (certificate #36365) | Philippines:R-18 | Malaysia:U | Canada:14A (Manitoba) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia) | Netherlands:12 (TV version) | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Belgium:KNT | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Germany:16 (bw) | Ireland:18 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:M18 (re-rating) | Singapore:R(A) (original rating) | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:18

Filming Locations:

Savannah, Georgia, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

The music playing when Brenner and Sunhill find Moore dead is "O Fortuna" from Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana".

Goofs:

Continuity: When Brenner and Sunhill leave the base together in the morning after the murder, Brenner drives his car back, and we see three officers moving to the side of the road. Two shots later, the officers are again in the middle of the road.

Quotes:

Sunhill: Why was she murdered?
Brenner: Well, possible motives for murder are profit, revenge, jealousy, to conceal a crime, to avoid humiliation & disgrace, or plain old homicidal mania. Right there in the manual.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The General's Daughter: Behind the Secrets (1999) (V)

Soundtrack:

In diesen heil'gen Hallen

An Ugly Painting set to emotive music...

A surprisingly stylised and artistic approach to an old theme. The smoky yellow colour tints, especially during graphic violence are very beautiful, therefore the subject matter is even more disturbing. The colour is sumptuous throughout which holds the viewers attention, even in the more routine sequences. The actors performances are rather mismatched, because some are realistic, Cromwell, & interesting, Woods, and others are plastic, Stowe, or complacent, Travolta. The plot is a traditional tale of integration and violating those the established dont want integrated, resulting in retrobution. Despite the clashes in acting style & limitations of plot, this film works! I cannot explain why, maybe a magnificent cinematographer is all a film needs, but it is riveting viewing.

My Rating: 7/10 When I had just seen this film I said 8/10, but over time I digested it and realised that the performances irritated me too much to maintain my initial opinion. The main problem is Travolta, his trademark being - wonderful charisma, which some films need, but this film did not need that, I prepose that he was wrongly cast in this film. It is this aspect that dulls it's memory. But I do recommend that you see this film if you like instantaneous impact & buzz and dont care who the actors are.

Who Should Watch this Film? This is an 18 Certificate, UK, you do need to be over 18yrs to understand it. There are a few behaviours regarding 'Ms Campbell' that only maturity will reveal any understanding about. Basically, men & women get the same package here, there are no subplots or romances or shoot-em-ups, it's a serious narrative. It's a film about army rape. Women will cope with the subject material because it's shot exquisitly & is very respectful towards women, and men will cope with it because problems are worked through and are solvable. If you can handle the basic premiss of the plot, then you will be surprised by the colour & sound of the film. It has the most stunning soundtrack I have encountered for a long time. The traditional African songs will blow your mind, because they do not match the visuals. I am recommending this film for the music & colour alone. It is this that will really make you think deeply.