The General's Daughter (1999)

Director:

Simon West

Writers (WGA):

Nelson DeMille (novel)
Christopher Bertolini (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

18 June 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller | War

Tagline:

Go behind the lies.

Plot:

When the daughter of a well-known and well-respected base commander is murdered, an undercover detective is summoned to look into the matter and finds a slew of cover-ups at West Point.

Plot Keywords:

General | Detective | Army | Murder | Investigation

Awards:

3 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

John Travolta	...	Warr. Off. Paul Brenner
Madeleine Stowe	...	Warr. Off. Sara Sunhill
James Cromwell	...	Lt. Gen. Joseph Campbell
Timothy Hutton	...	Col. William Kent
Leslie Stefanson	...	Capt. Elisabeth Campbell
Daniel von Bargen	...	Police Chief Yardley
Clarence Williams III	...	Col. George Fowler
James Woods	...	Col. Robert Moore
Peter Weireter	...	Belling
Mark Boone Junior	...	Dalbert Elkins
John Beasley	...	Col. Donald Slesinger
Boyd Kestner	...	Capt. Jake Elby
Brad Beyer	...	Capt. Bransford
John Benjamin Hickey	...	Capt. Goodson
Rick Dial	...	Cal Seivers

Also Known As:

Wehrlos - Die Tochter des Generals (Germany)
La hija del general (Argentina) (Spain) [es]
A Filha do General (Portugal) [pt]
Bat Ha-General (Israel: Hebrew title) [iw]
Generalens datter (Denmark) [da]
Generalens dotter (Sweden) [sv]
Generalin kizi (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
I kori tou stratigou (Greece) [el]
Kenraalin tytär (Finland) [fi]
La figlia del generale (Italy) [it]
La fille du général (Canada: French title) [fr]
Le déshonneur d'Elisabeth Campbell (France) [fr]
Shogun no musume (Japan) [ja]
The General's Daughter: Elizabeth Campbell (Japan: English title) [en]
Wehrlos - Die Tochter des Generals (Austria) [de]

MPAA:

Rated R for graphic images relating to sexual violence including a strong rape scene, some perverse sexuality, nudity and language

Runtime:

116 min

Country:

Germany | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:16 | USA:R (certificate #36365) | Philippines:R-18 | Malaysia:U | Canada:14A (Manitoba) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia) | Netherlands:12 (TV version) | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Belgium:KNT | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Germany:16 (bw) | Ireland:18 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:M18 (re-rating) | Singapore:R(A) (original rating) | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:18

Filming Locations:

Savannah, Georgia, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

John Cusack was, at one time, the lead candidate for Paul Brenner. But it was agreed that he was too young for the role.

Goofs:

Factual errors: CPT Campbell loans Brenner the lug wrench from her HMMWV. The HMMWV doesn't carry a lug wrench (or jack) because tires are not changed in the field by operators.

Quotes:

Colonel Robert Moore: When did... the event transpire?
Warrant Officer Paul Brenner: Zero four hundred, we think.
Colonel Robert Moore: Hmm. See that? My quick segue back to the case.
Warrant Officer Paul Brenner: Subtle as a chainsaw. And where were you?
Colonel Robert Moore: Snug in bed.
Warrant Officer Paul Brenner: Witnesses? A wife, girlfriend, roommate, hooker?
Colonel Robert Moore: I'm divorced. I'm between girlfriends, I live alone and I do not use hookers. I actually have... absolutely no alibi whatsoever. Does that make me a killer?
Warrant Officer Paul Brenner: No. Makes you lonely and unpopular.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The General's Daughter: Behind the Secrets (1999) (V)

Soundtrack:

Love You Anyway

Great movie unfairly savaged by critics.

THE GENERAL'S DAUGHTER is movie that has been done before. But it knows this and is able to look past it's cliché's and have fun with the genre. A cop(Travolta) is called to an army base to investigate the death of a general's daughter after she has been raped and beat to death and left naked and tied to the ground with tent stakes. It's a ghastly sight and everyone wants him to get to the bottom of it as soon as possible. The problem is that EVERYONE has something to hide or is hiding someone who has something to hide. This has an all-star cast and they are terrific. The story is well written and the cast has some fun with it along the way. Director Simon West knows how to tell the story with a slight tongue and cheek flavor and still maintain the very serious nature of the subject matter. The action sequences are very well choreographed and the climax is pretty intense. So if you are looking for a familiar but really good, intense, and exciting action murder mystery THE GENERAL'S DAUGHTER is well worth seeing. No matter if the critics thumbed their elitist nose's at it. They're loss is our average Joe's gain. ***1/2 out of 4.