"The General's Daughter" stars John Travolta, and he's a great actor in a movie surrounded by OTHER great actors (just like in "A Civil Action"). Probably the best scene of the movie is when John Travolta and James Woods are sitting across from each other talking. They're both playing mind games, and they each know it. James Woods truly deserves an Oscar nomination for his performance in this movie, but I doubt he'll get it.
The cast also includes Madeleine Stowe (I haven't seen HER in a while), and she's got a very low-key role, but it's the kinda role that's all about facial expressions, and she was perfect. James Cromwell ("Farmer Hoggett" in "Babe" and "Babe: Pig in the City" movies) easily fits into the role as the General, Clarence Williams III was superb, Timothy Hutton was good... just like in another military role he played a while back, and Leslie Stefanson was very good as "The General's Daughter," but James Woods... he was electrifying.
"The General's Daughter" was based on the novel by Nelson DeMille, and it was adapted into a screenplay by Christopher Bertolini and the great, great, great William Goldman. As for the director... that may surprise you. It was directed by Simon West, the same guy who directed "Con Air." This movie is MUCH more mature than "Con Air" (I liked "Con Air," but it was nothing more than a mindless action movie), and I liked how Simon West handled this film. Also, it's kinda cool that this is his second of two films that stars one of the leads from the John Woo film, "Face/Off."
There's a scene in this movie that's very controversial. It's garnered lotsa criticism by lotsa different "we've got nothing better to do, so let's bitch about something" groups, and it's all COMPLETELY unjustified. Yes, the scene in question is hard to watch. It's gut-wrenching, it's disturbing, and it's really hard to sit through. But it's absolutely essential to the story. In order for the viewer to know why the character acts the way he/she does, the scene needs to be shown for the horrific incident that it is.
This is a
movie I really enjoyed, but the subject matter may be a bit too rough for
the weak-hearted. It's a dark movie, and though there ARE some amusing moments,
it may not be enough for some. "The General's Daughter" is a well-crafted
movie that has images you'll be thinking about well after you walk out of
the theater.