A Filha do General

This was an excellent drama marred only by a little too much profanity and the normal Hollywood obsession of portraying the United States military as corrupt. (I have a news flash for filmmakers: there are some honest men in the military....really!!!) Feminism in the armed forces is another "agenda" item in this film.

There are many pluses, however, with this movie that should be noted. . The acting is excellent with a deep cast featuring John Travolta, James Cromwell, Madeline Stowe, Timothy Hutton, James Woods, Clarence Williams III, Leslie Stefanson and more.

I loved the dialog between Travola and Woods. It reminded me of the film noir films of the 1940s. The general's daughter, Stephanson, is a bit hard-edged in here but it's understandable when you find out why she acts the way she does. The characters the actors are all interesting and the story hooks you in right away. The cinematography is great. This looks stunning on DVD.

There are no lulls in this film and the action isn't overdone, either. Very entertaining.

... that's a central question in this movie. She's been murdered and the key seems to lie in the past. She's the daughter of a prominent general who's on the fast track to a political career - so resolving the case is a big deal. Travolta and Stowe play the military investigators of the case.

This is an entertaining movie to watch - mostly because John Travolta is really interesting in his role. His character is fast-thinking, intelligent, focused and probing. The character dialog is really good too. James Woods is also fun to watch as a non-cooperative psi-ops officer.

The story is pretty faced paced and anyone who likes CSI-types shows, or just plain mystery-type movies should be pleased with this one.

The General's Daughter turned out to be the kind of movie we like to watch, in that there are mysteries to be solved and as a viewed you are continually adjusting your theories.A central theme is how a military coverup can obscure the truth. However, Travolta's character will have none of that, using all the cunning and "bully" tactics at his disposal to finally get to the truth. There is a good moral, about betrayal of trust in family relationships. Much of the dialog is flawed, overly melodramatic at times. However the main characters, played by such established actors as James Woods, Daniel VonBargen, John Travolta, Madeline Stowe, Tim Hutton, Jam4es Cromwell, come across very well. I rate it 7 of 10.

I can't believe this movie is rated only 6.3 on IMDb. In the mystery and crime genre alone I would personally rate it at same level as as Vertigo and Pscycho. It's direction, acting and plot are all top notch, cutting deep in your mind and psych. This is one of those movies that draws viewers in and doesn't leave them even after it ends. Some people say that its end is a little hammy, but by the time it reaches there, the movie has already done a stellar work. In my opinion it is also one of the best acting performances by John Travolta. And the supporting ensemble is equally good. This is one of them movies that deserves to be part of every collection.

I have developed a large DVD library over the years, some 1,000 today! There are only a few which I will see more than once or twice. And The General's Daughter is one I keep seeing with pleasure. You will have read many reviews, scattering ratings from 1 to 10, as usual, but with a poor average rate. I personally like the movie for its excellent tempo and accompanying music. Travolta, Cromwell and Stowe fit their respective role perfectly. The global integration of filming, dialogs, acting and plot come out exactly right. So of course I try to understand why the rating is so poor. I have read criticism regarding the poor adaptation from the book, the way the army is depicted so unjustly, the average performance of Travolta and his annoying southern accent and more. Well, we have the right to our choices and own judgment. On a closing note, I wish people would stop repeating the plot in their reviews: it's boring, redundant and does not provide a bit of film analysis.