TonyMontana96
John Travolta is an actor with a lot of charisma and likability, and here he tries his best, giving a good, solid performance but even he can't save the plotting which is predictable, clichéd and rather ridiculous. The story is as follows, a female commander is murdered, and detective Paul Brenner must find out the culprit within a certain amount of time, as the event will turn into a media circus as soon as the FBI arrive. He is helped by Rape investigator Sara Sunhill played by Madeleine Stowe, she also has personality and possesses some good chemistry with Travolta as well as a sense of humour and gives a well-grounded performance. James Woods play's an Army officer, high in command, James Cromwell play's General Joseph Campbell and Timothy Hutton play's Colonel William Kent to name a few, the picture is well acted for the most part.The direction from Simon West is pretty good and it's well shot, and appropriately set, revolving around an army base, and the best choice was leaving the press out of it, as they would have clogged up the screen. However there is some questionable dialogue and writing, as well as plot inconsistencies and some really silly moments, but for me the main problem that stopped me from actually liking the picture was the twist before the conclusion, which felt tacked on and void of any sense, and the very end is comprised of predictability, as I saw a certain person's involvement within the murder about half way through, knowing he was guilty by his mannerism's. Overall The General's Daughter is well paced, and competently acted but it suffers from questionable flaws in logic, too many clichés and a ridiculous plot twist that's simply disappointing and senseless.
batmanreturns-56361
Wow! Something different from John Travolta! I must say this film is a great thriller!. It is exciting, thrilling and suspenseful and addition to this John Travolta gives a powerhouse performance. Critics can say what they want! If the life was fair, critics wouldn't exist. Moving on I thought this film to be simply excellent. Now a lot of money was put into this film ($95 million). And it has made approximately ($150 million). I recommend this blockbuster to everyone who is mature enough, because this isn't an PG action film. What else can I say? Just watch this movie already, you will not regret it. Great performance by all the casts. Overall 10/10.
ZielinskiMichal321
When you see such a polarisation of opinions on a book or a film, you actually see a good work because it is making people think. This movie does that and yes, provokes violent extremes in how people perceive it. Yeah, John's accent stinks big time, but he gives one of the best performances of his career. Stowe is always beautiful to watch, an elegant actress that be oh so feminine and yet have a strong will and a mind of her own. She shines in a role that often gives her little to work with speaking of her radiant talent. Timothy Hutton is as always, a superb actor (Tim your Daddy would be very proud of you!! James Woods - what can you say - you love him or you hate him, but he is one of the best around and he gives a moving performance and the person with the secrets Travolta needs. James Cromwell is finally getting the recognition and the roles he deserves and does his very best in another unlikeable role, bringing it little nuances of a man caught between loving his daughter and the higher calling of military honour. This movie does not show the military and its treatment of its female members in a good light bringing back many such stories we have seen through the years on evening news, maybe with such graphically grim - almost claustrophobic feel that it will cause some people to dislike the film for that alone, especially in today's climate of the world. But is a gripping, on the edge film, that does not take the easy road, but delivers a powerful punch...maybe too powerful for some.
lathe-of-heaven
Funny, I saw this a number of years ago and although I remember really liking it I did NOT remember how extremely well done it was. I just watched an HD print of the movie and it looked fantastic; I cannot bloody WAIT for it to get a full Blu-ray treatment. The very first thing that really hit me was the look and cinematography. WOW! Beautiful. The shots of his boathouse and the trees, the lighting and the colouring. Just breathtaking...I truly cannot remember the last time where a film was directed this well. The use of soundtrack, editing, timing, bloody EVERYTHING was just off the charts. During some of the more dramatic moments, I was sitting there, totally stunned at the absolutely artful use of editing. The edits in motion between the characters and movements were completely masterful. The director took a film that could have been just a sharp Murder Mystery / Thriller and turned it into this beautiful artwork. WOW, I say again...All performances were great, down to the last person. I truly cannot remember the last time I was this caught up in a film of ANY Genre!It totally mystifies me WHY on earth this film only has a 6.1 rating here on IMDb. For the life of me, I cannot even begin to guess as to how this movie could possibly be improved...
AD
