THE GENERAL'S DAUGHTER is an earnest mystery thriller set in a US army base. The whodunit aspect of the storyline brought to mind some of the Columbo episodes that had similar military themes although this is much more adult fare with some very dark subject matter. The film looks at the top of sexism in the army, taken to the extreme in the vicious gang rape and murder of a young woman by her peers.
It's certainly a hard-hitting topic and one we see in the headlines all too often, and thus THE GENERAL'S DAUGHTER has a worthy feel to it. However, the main problem the film suffers from is the flashy '90s feel which gives it a dated vibe that you wouldn't find in a similar movie made in the '80s or even '90s. CON AIR director Simon West is a poor choice for director; they should have found someone who could make a more gritty and realistic movie. The shoehorned, Hollywood-style action feels ridiculous although Travolta is solid enough and the likes of James Woods and James Cromwell get to do their bit in the acting stakes.
It's certainly a hard-hitting topic and one we see in the headlines all too often, and thus THE GENERAL'S DAUGHTER has a worthy feel to it. However, the main problem the film suffers from is the flashy '90s feel which gives it a dated vibe that you wouldn't find in a similar movie made in the '80s or even '90s. CON AIR director Simon West is a poor choice for director; they should have found someone who could make a more gritty and realistic movie. The shoehorned, Hollywood-style action feels ridiculous although Travolta is solid enough and the likes of James Woods and James Cromwell get to do their bit in the acting stakes.