The General's Daughter Reviewed - Movies - http://maxpages.com/xanadu/gensdaughter

"I want the truth!" yells Tom Cruise. Jack Nicholson, with his calm demeanor says nonchalantly, "You can't handle the truth." That moment will live in our pop culture for years to come. It is what good writing is all about. In the pivotal moment of this movie, the big bad general's assistant tells Travolta, "You'd better start thinking about your career." Travolta, with eyes bulging and veins throbbing in his neck, through gritted teeth, delivers that magic line for the whole movie, "You'd better start thiking about yours!" And everyone watching says, "Huh? Did I miss something?" If you think that line is lackluster, then watch the rest of the movie. After setting the stage for a decent conspiracy, it continually lets the viewer down, leading up to a dull climax and a cliche ending.

Not to say it is without bright spots. James Cromwell always shines and here it is no different. He is the general, grieving over his daughter, yet giving off the impression that maybe he is hiding something. Even brighter is James Woods. Playing a military shrink with an attitude, he comes off as brass, pompous, challenging, and--believe it or not--likeable. If the rest of this movie were any better, the Academy just might think supporting actor nod, but, alas, his bright performance is dulled by the rest of this flop. Travolta is subpar, and Stowe is as flat as she's ever been, which is plains-of- Kansas-kind-of flat.

The plot itself, as I have said is set up decent enough. The general's daughter, herself an outstanding soldier is found killed, bound and gagged on base. Rape and murder, or a tangled web of conspiracy that could possibly indict the big kahunas? I'll leave it to you to guess which one. The plot unfolds itself, dug up by Travolta and Stowe's two dimensonal characters, who have some sort of love hate tension thing going which never gets fully developed (which is alright because no one gives a damn about either of them anyway). During two plus hours of tediousness, the two overturn clues, bend the rules (certainly a requirement of all detectives nowadays, isn't it?), and play hardball in an effort to solve the murder. And then finally, the veiwer gets some respite as they roll the credits.

If you're looking for your average run-of-the-mill, carbon-copy, conspiracy murder mysteries, then this is your moive. However, if you'd like a bit of thought and originality, then you might want to pass it up on the rental shelves.

My verdict: Travolta had better start thinking about his career.

Xanadu8503@aol.com

Visitors: 01391

Page Updated Wed May 3, 2000 3:41am EDT