The General's Daughter

Rating:
Summary: 3 stars for movie, 4 stars for DVD
Review: The movie itself is alright. I read reviews from film critics that absolutely panned this movie. It's not but stands as a middle of the road mystery. As you can read from the synopsis what the story is about, I won't go into too much detail about the movie. Briefly, John Travolta and Madeline Stowe are warrant officers in the Military Police (CID) and investigate the murder of a female army captain, who happens to be the daughter of a prominent general who is retiring to enter into national politics. She was found naked and tied spreadeagled to tent posts near a military training area. The bizarre fact behind this murder is that despite the circumstances she was strangled and there is no evidence of a sexual crime as well. The two detectives quickly discover that behind the outward appearance of the victim there lies a history of sexual exploits with numerous officers on the base, and a countless number of suspects that would want to have kept this a secret from wives and the general himself.

While the story itself is intriguing the characters themselves are not that well developed. The background is believable but it doesn't draw you in like the best mysteries do. "A Few Good Men" does a far better job of this.

The DVD itself contains some deleted scenes and an alternative ending which I found intriguing. The scenes while short would have added an element to the movie that was best left on the cutting room floor. Other DVDs I have rented provided additional scenes that were of no substance but were pretty much just spare footage. I think this gives you a little more insight into the movie. The ending isn't a different solution to the mystery just a different take on the final scene after the solution of the mystery.

In all, I would say that this isn't worth the purchase but isn't a bad rental. The additional cut scenes make renting the DVD more worthwhile than a videotape.

Rating:
Summary: I have buyer's remorse.
Review: I kept wondering when the story in this movie would start. It never did. A series of events just sort of happened. Travolta's character, Paul Brenner, "develops" through some macho noise. A woman turns up dead. Brenner investigates. Possible suspects behave strangely, implicitly promising that some stunning revelation will be made. When that moment arrives, the conspiracy revealed proves to be unbelievable for lack of any credible motivation. Lack of motivation, in fact, is the common flaw for all of the characters in this waste of time. Pointless moments spent explaining Brenner's past relationship with a co-investigator only temporarily distract from the weak plot. Brenner was also unrealistically flip and insolent for a military man in a military setting. On the positive side, the lighting was good and the uniforms the characters wore were clean.

Rating:
Summary: Good all around fun!
Review: I really did like this movie. I'm not usually into stuff that has to deal with war and the army and such, but this was more like a psychological thriller. It really suprised me in the end. I like the music which is so representative of the area where this takes place. The first song in the movie is just amazing. I love the acting and i think that this cast pulled off a really great feat. I watch this movie over and over again because it is thrilling and has great acting.

Rating:
Summary: Oh, this is bad.
Review: The basic story involves a female West Point cadet raped by classmates during a training exercise and the consequences that follow. A major problem is that no one looks or acts like they are in the military. John Travolta looks like a 1970's GI fighting the hair cut standards and 50 pounds over weight. Did this officer ever pass a PT test? He sure doesn't look like the soldier on the box. Travolta's acting is poor, the story is poor, everything about this movie is poor. We are poor for paying for the video. Is there no end to these mediocre performances carrying three and more star ratings?

Rating:
Summary: Should be Courtmartialed
Review: John Travolta is the only thing enjoyable in this otherwise convaluted mystery centering on a politically ambitious army general's daughter'a brutal. When Travolta's charachter is asked to account for his own whereabouts at the time of the murder, Travolta - who'd been in a shootout while working on another case - explains he was too busy trying to kill somebody else. Unfortunately, the story is weighed down by every possible contrivance - mostly centering around the victim's sexual history. Becuae the victim was promiscuous, just about every man on base is a suspect. Also on the loose is a mysterious figure who's probably the murderer and soon starts taking pot-shots at our investigators. The script takes its plot devices way too seriously, soon squandering some major firepower. James Woods' charachter, a weasel psych-warfare expert, never gets the chance to strut wicked, and soon he's gone. With his departure, Travolta is forced to play-off a minor army of toy soldiers, plastic pieces with only a vague semblance of believable people. It's hard to imagine anybody giving these officers so much as KP, let alone command of an armored division. Staggeringly pleased with itself, the script never really developes its mystery or remotely clever ways to solve it. With clues just falling into Travolta's lap, the film undermines the detective instinct that Travolta's charachter needs to solve the biggest mystery of all - why watch this movie?

Rating:
Summary: Sometimes predictable but an good suspense thriller.
Review: After his 1994 comeback with the excellent Pulp Fiction, that is one of his best films ever. Ever since than, most of his films, after Pulp Fiction were Box Office Hits. In this case, The General`s Daughter is almost a great film but it was a lot of style of filmmaking by director-Simon West(Con Air, the upcoming Tomb Raider) gives a lot of good suspense, some shocking surprises and an impressive cast like-Madeleine Stowe(12 Monkeys), James Cromwell(Babe), Timothy Hutton(The Dark Half), Clarence Williams The Third(Reindeer Games) and James Woods(Any Given Sunday). The Plot:An military investigator Paul Brenner(Travolta) uncovers more than he never imagined, when a young woman was find murder in amry base in Fort MacCallum and she turn out to be the daughter of the general(Cromwell) indeed a powerful man. When the offcials try to hide the movite behind the murder of the general`s daughter and he has help from a co-investigator(Stowe) trying the best they can to solve it before the military and FBI get into the way. This slick thriller is well made with only a few flaws, it was too easy to guess the villian`s identity but thanks to good performances from the cast and some great surprises moments. Based on the novel by Nelson DeMille and Co-Screenplay by William Goldman(Misery).

DVD Special Features are good, with an fine running commentary by the director-West, Deleted Scenes with Commentary and 20 mintues behind the scenes featurette. An fine anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1) transer Impressive Dolby Digital 5.1 Soundtrack. Grdae:B+. Panavision.

Rating:
Summary: Travolta Just Keeps Getting Better!
Review: Travolta has given his many fans another movie to enjoy his unique onscreen personality. This role seems written especially for him, his cocky interactions with the local sheriff were hilarious. The movie itself is smooth and very well directed. You'll guess until the end who the murderer is and you'll spend much of the movie going from one theory to another. Wonderful flick indeed!

Rating:
Summary: ho-hum melodrama
Review: Despite high powered talent both in front of and behind the camera, "The General's Daughter" emerges as a tepid, run-of-the-mill murder mystery set on a deep South army base. The murder victim is the (to put it politely) sexually loose daughter of the camp's highly distinguished general; Travolta portrays the investigator, torn between loyalty to the military and to his civilian duties, whose job it is to unravel the mystery of her bizarre death.

Though based on true events, the film's screenplay fails to develop a particularly compelling or surprising story, settling instead for a gallery of essentially stereotypical characters. We have, for instance, the cynical, but essentially decent tough guy investigator, the hard-as-nails female helpmate, who, of course, has shared a failed romantic past with the hero, and the by-the-rules-at-all-costs military father, willing to sacrifice his daughter's life on the altar of doing what's best for the institution. In addition, the film lines up the usual array of red herrings, false leads, and strawmen suspects that Travolta's character must bat away before the final solution is revealed. That resolution comes in the form of a ludicrous, barely credible scene in which the guilty person, as always, pointlessly explains to the investigators every detail concerning the execution of the crime.

Given nothing in the way of fully developed or fleshed out characters to portray, the actors are left to essentially sleepwalk through their roles. It is obvious none of their hearts are in these dull proceedings. Travolta needs perhaps to begin challenging himself a bit more in more demanding roles and stop settling for such routine assignments as the one he has found in "The General's Daughter".

Rating:
Summary: Travolta Shines
Review: Having read the book I was looking forward to finally seeing the movie.I was not diaappointed.The plot was intelligant, and well thought out. This movie will hold the audiance from start to finish.The only thingthat I did not like was the flashback rape scene. I was unprepared for the violent shown. The DVD should have a warning label for this.It is also fun to view the deleted scenes, and by the way the alternate ending is better than the one that is choosen for th movie.

Rating:
Summary: OK But There's No "There" There
Review: The problem with THE GENERAL'S DAUGHTER is that the central incident that has to be unravelled--the murder--is absurd, contrived, and utterly unconvincing. It's as if the producer didn't read past the first 50 pages of the screenplay, and when the got on the set, the director said, "all right, so there's no 'there' there, so let's do our best." And their best is quite good, thank you. John Travolta delivers a fine performance in a role that calls for an intelligent-brutal cop. Since the cop is on an army bsse, apparently the usual rules of not beating up suspects, etc., don't apply. So John gets to do what he can do a lot better than anyone else -- punch you in the mouth and smile boyishly at the same time. Madeline Stowe as the co-star isn't much; she has a good moment or two, but a better actress would have made those good moments chilling (instead of just all right). Nicole Kidman or Julia Roberts would have taken that role and made it sing, but they were (a) probably unavailable, (b) didn't like the script, or (c) figured that there was no much percentage in bumping up a two star movie to a three star movie. Because that's all I would have given it if Kidman or Roberts had been in the film. Basically, if you don't have a core premiss, then no matter how well you dress it up, it's still hollow at the center. Bottom line: would I recommend THE GENERAL'S DAUGHTER? Yes, if you're willing to tolerate a hollow core. If you have a high degree of tolerance for a contrived plot, then you should have an enjoyable time watching a superstar like Travolta in a role ideally suited for him.