The General’s Daughter (1999)
Director: Simon West
Starring: John Travolta, Madeleine Stowe, James Cromwell, James Woods
Primary genre: Mystery
Secondary genre: Thriller
Before Travolta almost destroyed his career with the sci-fi magnum opus that was “Battlefield: Earth” (2000), he released one last big hit in Simon West’s “The General’s Daughter” based on Nelson DeMille’s book. This mystery thriller film bears a faster pace than it has any right to do so for a story which involves the mysterious murder of female Captain in a fictional army base.
The script by Christopher Bertolini and Oscar winner(!) William Goldman (“Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” (1969), “Marathon Man“ (1976), “The Princess Bride” (1987)) tries to bring into collision several characters all of whom are suspected by the investigator duo of Travolta-Stowe. For the first 2/3s, West and the screenwriters succeed to keep the audience invested despite some pretty obvious dodgy behavior by potential co-conspirators as we learn more about the life of the victim and the circumstances around her. However, by the time we reach the climax, the case itself becomes less engaging due to extensive flashback use aiming to trigger emotional resolution instead of a dynamic confrontation ending the mystery abruptly. The movie’s dramatic attempts to discuss existing misogyny in the Army are welcome (especially for 1999) but ultimately not meaningful as they are glossed over and an additional shade of the murdered victim’s psyche can be seen as poor taste.
“Oh, unclench your ass cheeks, Dalbert. The scary part is over.”
Nevertheless, the protagonists share natural chemistry and the lack of a tedious love story embeds them with relatable traits in this investigative journey with Travolta and Stowe having a good time in their verbal exchanges. The supporting players are excellent too, especially a game-on James Woods who has the best scenes by engaging in excellent intellectual banter with Travolta’s Brenner.
The less covered cinematically American South is a character itself and West makes the most out of his generous budget. Some awkward sound mixing aside and a blunt score by Carter Burwell (e.g., “Fargo” (1996)), his shots flirt like a solid imitation of Michael Bay’s style from the use of slo-mo to unusual close ups of items in plenty of on-screen visual noise. Peter Menzies Jr’s (“The 13th Warrior“ (1999), “Tomb Raider” (2001)) luscious, hyper-saturated and colorful cinematography truly invokes the humid sub-tropical feeling in each frame, particularly during the night scenes.
“The General’s Daughter” a well-made mystery thriller, one that perhaps is too long for the story it tries to tell. While it can maintain a sense of engagement throughout, its underwhelming third act and lack of critical insights in the subject of military justice looms over the proceedings. It is entertaining enough in its cast without seeking to reinvent the genre it represents.
Solid if underwhelming mystery
+Vivid cinematography
+Good cast
+Good premise
+Interesting commentary on the Army’s misogyny
-…but superficial
-Odd sound mixing
-Underwhelming score
-Third act