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

Colour:

Colour

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

Lots Of Pluses and Minuses, But Entertaining

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.