Confusing, meandering plot. Uneven pace. Too many slow scenes with supporting characters that don't move the story along. The General Died at Dawn is famous for the line "We could have made wonderful music together." Well, the film could have been wonderful. It could have been a great vehicle for Gary Cooper. It could have been a great adventure film from the 1930s similar to Beau Geste or The Real Glory--two films starring Cooper that came out in 1939.
Unfortunately, it's not any of those things and falls flat. It has a promising beginning: an exotic setting, warlords, an oppressed population, and Cooper looking like a dashing precursor to Indiana Jones with his fedora hat, pet monkey, and panache. There's also an interesting train sequence that is vaguely reminiscent of something you would see in a Hitchcock film, like The Lady Vanishes. I would say the first third, or even the first half, of the movie is enjoyable. In general, there's always the potential for danger or excitement, but it doesn't quite materialize or peters out very quickly. Overall, it's very disappointing and easily one of the weakest films in Cooper's impressive and varied filmography.
Unfortunately, it's not any of those things and falls flat. It has a promising beginning: an exotic setting, warlords, an oppressed population, and Cooper looking like a dashing precursor to Indiana Jones with his fedora hat, pet monkey, and panache. There's also an interesting train sequence that is vaguely reminiscent of something you would see in a Hitchcock film, like The Lady Vanishes. I would say the first third, or even the first half, of the movie is enjoyable. In general, there's always the potential for danger or excitement, but it doesn't quite materialize or peters out very quickly. Overall, it's very disappointing and easily one of the weakest films in Cooper's impressive and varied filmography.