The General

Rating:
Summary: A great film
Review: A very interesting movie that offers a glimpse into the life of a thief who stole almost $60 million in art-work, gold, and money. It's hard to believe that this movie is a true story.

Rating:
Summary: Generally Excellent
Review: Somewhere and sometime. in a galaxy far away, filmakers are going to realize that colloquial Irish brogue is extremely difficult to digest and even more so when enhanced by inherent slang. Thankful I had the DVD version it did not take me more than 15 minutes to flip on English subtitles.
That notwithstanding, this is an excellent film portraying the life of Martin Cahill. Brendan Gleeson was so compelling in this role that I could'nt help but despise him throughout. Jon Voight, as the inspector, is also well worth the price of admission. Funny thing. Voight was criticized for his phony accent but in reality was the only actor that could be totally understood at all times.
See this film. There are 2 versions. Color and B&W. Watch the B&W version. It is much more "mood oriented" where the color(desaturated) can be distracting.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best films of the year, terrible dvd.
Review: The black & white photography was fantastic. I immediatly went out and bought the Van Morrison CD that had the song "It use to be my life". Gleeson was terrific. I like Voight, but I did not think that this was one of his better efforts.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: The black & white photography was fantastic. I immediatly went out and bought the Van Morrison CD that had the song "It use to be my life". Gleeson was terrific. I like Voight, but I did not think that this was one of his better efforts.

Rating:
Summary: EXCELLENT!!!!!!!
Review: THE GENERAL,based on the true story of Dublin criminal Martin Cahill and the book by Paul Williams,is an excellent piece of work.Brendan Gleeson(I WENT DOWN)gives one of the most enjoyable performances of the year.Not so sure about Jon Voight's Kerry accent.

Rating:
Summary: Brendan Gleason as the charming Irish rogue, Martin Cahill
Review: The home of director John Boorman was one robbed by Martin Cahill, who stole, among other things, the gold record from Boorman's wall for "Dueling Banjos," the hit single from his film "Deliverance." That scene is included in Boorman's 1998 film "The General," along with Cahill's disgust at learning gold records are not made of gold, and helps to establish the idea that Cahill is an engaging rogue. Most of that particular task is accomplished by Brendan Gleason, who creates such a likeable character that when he nails one of his men to a snooker table to force a confession, we are inclined to overlook the act of violence.

I checked out "The General" after watching "Veronica Guerin," in which Cahill's murder is an early scene. Ironically, both films begin the same way, with the death of the title character. We then go back to the point in their lives where the filmmaker begins to explain how they came to such a violent end. Cahill starts off stealing potatoes and promising young Frances that he will never be caught. Having been forced to break this promise once he grows up to be man who plans on avoiding returning to prison by planning his robberies with such care than he is nicknamed "The General." But he also has a great sense of flair, which he demonstrates when his wife and mistress, who happen to be sisters, persuade him to buy a house for 80,000 pounds. Then there is his habit of always wearing a hood or having his hand in front of his face in public so that his picture can never be taken.

The Dublin police play into making Cahill look good by sinking to his level and well below. There is also the clear implication at the start of the film that there were complicit in Cahill's murder, although more by an act of omission than commission. So when the police put first Cahill and then his gang under 24-hour surveillance, we enjoy it as he finds a series of ways to get the better of them, with relative ease. In the end, it is not his dealings with the police, but rather his disdain for the IRA that is going to get him killed.

Jon Voight plays Ned Kenny, the cop turned inspector who is supposed to be Cahill's nemesis, but who does not really get to do enough to even be a model of futility in his pursuit of the criminal and his gang. Adrian Dunbar as Noel Curley and Sean McGiley as Gary are Cahill's chief henchmen and it was a treat to see two-thirds of the backup singers from "The Committments" showing up in this film, with Maria Doyle Kennedy as Frances and a black tressed Angeline Ball as Tina.

I keep seeing comparisons between Cahill and Robin Hood, followed by an inevitable caveat that Cahill took from the rich and kept it for himself, but I think that misses the mark. Cahill is more in the mode of Jesse James, who also enjoyed popular support in his community without always spreading around the wealth. The American outlaw also had more of a violent streak, even in the popular folklore about his robberies, than the outlaw of Sherwood Forest. Consequently I see the Robin Hood analogy as another attempt to make Cahill look better than he was, which Boorman's film has absolutely no trouble doing. In the end, "The General" is neither a celebration of Cahill's life nor a warning about the path to be avoided, but a look at a captivating rogue, which is always an interesting journey.

Rating:
Summary: Brendan Gleason as the charming Irish rogue, Martin Cahill
Review: The home of director John Boorman was one robbed by Martin Cahill, who stole, among other things, the gold record from Boorman's wall for "Dueling Banjos," the hit single from his film "Deliverance." That scene is included in Boorman's 1998 film "The General," along with Cahill's disgust at learning gold records are not made of gold, and helps to establish the idea that Cahill is an engaging rogue. Most of that particular task is accomplished by Brendan Gleason, who creates such a likeable character that when he nails one of his men to a snooker table to force a confession, we are inclined to overlook the act of violence.

I checked out "The General" after watching "Veronica Guerin," in which Cahill's murder is an early scene. Ironically, both films begin the same way, with the death of the title character. We then go back to the point in their lives where the filmmaker begins to explain how they came to such a violent end. Cahill starts off stealing potatoes and promising young Frances that he will never be caught. Having been forced to break this promise once he grows up to be man who plans on avoiding returning to prison by planning his robberies with such care than he is nicknamed "The General." But he also has a great sense of flair, which he demonstrates when his wife and mistress, who happen to be sisters, persuade him to buy a house for 80,000 pounds. Then there is his habit of always wearing a hood or having his hand in front of his face in public so that his picture can never be taken.

The Dublin police play into making Cahill look good by sinking to his level and well below. There is also the clear implication at the start of the film that there were complicit in Cahill's murder, although more by an act of omission than commission. So when the police put first Cahill and then his gang under 24-hour surveillance, we enjoy it as he finds a series of ways to get the better of them, with relative ease. In the end, it is not his dealings with the police, but rather his disdain for the IRA that is going to get him killed.

Jon Voight plays Ned Kenny, the cop turned inspector who is supposed to be Cahill's nemesis, but who does not really get to do enough to even be a model of futility in his pursuit of the criminal and his gang. Adrian Dunbar as Noel Curley and Sean McGiley as Gary are Cahill's chief henchmen and it was a treat to see two-thirds of the backup singers from "The Committments" showing up in this film, with Maria Doyle Kennedy as Frances and a black tressed Angeline Ball as Tina.

I keep seeing comparisons between Cahill and Robin Hood, followed by an inevitable caveat that Cahill took from the rich and kept it for himself, but I think that misses the mark. Cahill is more in the mode of Jesse James, who also enjoyed popular support in his community without always spreading around the wealth. The American outlaw also had more of a violent streak, even in the popular folklore about his robberies, than the outlaw of Sherwood Forest. Consequently I see the Robin Hood analogy as another attempt to make Cahill look better than he was, which Boorman's film has absolutely no trouble doing. In the end, "The General" is neither a celebration of Cahill's life nor a warning about the path to be avoided, but a look at a captivating rogue, which is always an interesting journey.

Rating:
Summary: Sleazy guy featured in well-done portrayal
Review: This guy was simply too sleazy for words! The film seemed to romanticize, or at least to want the viewer to admire, this Irish mafia dude. His behavior was simply reprehensible, especially in his off-handed manner toward his wife and sister-in-law (both of whom he was openly sexually involved with) and with his protecting one of his "employees" who admitted to sexually abusing his own daughter. The movie DID hold my interest, but I was actually relieved when the General was shot to death at the end of the film.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent acting, not-always-compelling story
Review: This is a gritty, human tale told with irony, humor and more than a little violence. Gleeson is great in the title role. I can't help but wonder, however, which version the director initially intended to be seen theatrically: the black and white (which, incidentally, is presented in a 1.85:1 ratio, rather than the advertised 2.35:1) or the desaturated color version (which is 2.35:1)?

Rating:
Summary: Colorful Portrait of a Unique Criminal
Review: This is a gritty, human tale told with irony, humor and more than a little violence. Gleeson is great in the title role. I can't help but wonder, however, which version the director initially intended to be seen theatrically: the black and white (which, incidentally, is presented in a 1.85:1 ratio, rather than the advertised 2.35:1) or the desaturated color version (which is 2.35:1)?