The General's Daughter [DVD] [1999] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

ISBN 10: 0792159659 ISBN 13: 9780792159650

Publisher: Paramount Studio

Synopsis

There's the right way, the wrong way and the Army way. But there's no way military investigator Paul Brenner (John Travolta) is going to participate in a cover-up when Fort MacCallum officials try to hide the motive behind the murder of a beautiful female officer. Travolta's magnetic performance sparks this riveting thriller from the director of Con Air and the producer of The Hunt for Red October. Madeleine Stowe plays Brenner's co-investigator and former flame. And James Cromwell, Timothy Hutton, Clarence Williams III and James Woods are among the suspects in this "steamy game of cat and mouse that will keep you guessing until the surprising explosive ending." --Sandie Newton, CBS-TV.

About this title

From Amazon.co.uk

When John Travolta first opens his mouth during the opening credits of The General's Daughter and speaks in a terrible Southern cracker drawl, one briefly hopes the movie will turn out to be just as hilariously bad. Unfortunately, the accent is soon revealed to be part of a disguise, and the movie is just as quickly unveiled as a clumsy, run-of-the-mill potboiler, too mediocre to be truly hysterical fun. A female officer is discovered strangled and tied to the ground; she's the title character, and because of the general's political ambitions, the mystery of who did it and why has to be wrapped up in 36 hours by Travolta and fellow CID officer Madeleine Stowe (Last of the Mohicans, 12 Monkeys). Sexual violence and lurid S&M have been thrown in to shore up the incomprehensible plot, but that only adds to the queasy atmosphere. The supporting actors--an impressive collection including James Woods (Salvador), Timothy Hutton (Ordinary People), and James Cromwell (Babe, L.A. Confidential)--don't embarrass themselves, but even they can't make sense of their blustering, macho dialogue. It's amazing that, screenwriter William Goldman (who wrote such great and genuinely thrilling films as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Marathon Man, All the President's Men and Misery) left his name attached to this script; there's no sign of his usual skill and intelligence. Madeleine Stowe, a graceful presence in any film, is equally wasted. It was directed with a lot of empty flash by Simon West (Con Air). --Bret Fetzer, Amazon.com

Edition details

• Publisher: Paramount Studio
• ISBN 10: 0792159659
• ISBN 13: 9780792159650
• Binding: DVD