Well, here we go with the latest word on THE GENERAL'S DAUGHTER. Yesterday on Dark Horizons there was an extremely positive test screening result for THE GENERAL'S DAUGHTER... and well, we have one... pretty darn negative review from AICN semi-regular Kit Latura and a positive from a film student codenamed Ida Lupino. So, take your pick, it seems people are swinging in different directions on this one... We'll see...
The General's Daughter
Let me first say that I hope John Travolta uses a little more subtlety in his next performance as the twelve-foot alien in the new L. Ron Hubbard flick he is currently shooting. His work in "The General's Daughter" is totally lacking in restraint or focus. Travolta dips into his usual bag of tricks and pulls out that very broad southern drawl which has gone from minorly annoying to chill inducing over the course of his career.
All at once in this film Travolta wants to be A) a badass undercover Army investigator B) a debonair playboy who enjoys flirting with his old flame while on the job and C) a man of iron-clad integrity who is willing to risk his career by standing up to the corrupt, upper-echelon Army brass. Because of his attempt to be everything at once, Travolta fails to bring a shred of realism to his character.
I know that "The General's Daughter" was directed by commercial/music video/"Con Air" veteran, Simon West who was probably less than forceful in demanding that his lead actor not chew the scenery. Let's hope in the future, Travolta chooses a director who is unafraid to say "no" to him when he makes the suggestion, "Let me try something different in this scene"
As for the film itself, there is not much to recommend. Without giving more plot description away than was printed on my screening pass, the story centers on a female Army captain who was gang-raped by five male cadets at West Point. Because of this horrifying incident, the captain has transformed herself into a degenerate sex-maniac and has slept with the entire staff of her new post. Travolta and Madeline Stowe are called in to investigate when she turns up murdered.
What is worse than the writers turning this emotionally scarred rape victim into a nymphomaniac, is the way the camera lingers on her (beautiful, of course) naked body as she lies spread-eagle and bound to the ground by tent stakes. I'm sure the producers are telling themselves, "what the heck, its a summer release with star-power and will probably make an easy hundred million at the box-office."
There is a whole romantic sub-plot to "The General's Daughter" that is ludicrous and does not belong in a film dealing with this kind of sensitive subject matter, Travolta and a strangely pale-looking Stowe can't generate any kind of heat either.
When the film is finally released in early June, I am sure that the centerpiece interrogation scene between James Woods and Travolta will be featured in all of the promotional clips, however nothing in it rings true. Woods is the typical slimeball he can play in his sleep by now - complete with fake tan and sweaty brow and Travolta is well being Travolta and not playing a character.
The cast is sadly rounded out by the likes of James Cromwell and Timothy Hutton (apparently reprising his role from "Taps"). The only cast member who seemed the least bit real was the actor who played the remorseful psychiatrist who Travolta befriends at West Point. Was Simon West by any chance sick for the day they shot his scenes?
In the end, it appears that the makers of "The General's Daughter" were only concerned with the film's big bravura moments while remaining happily oblivious to the fact it had become offensive to the audience.
Kit.
And here's Ida Lupino's review...
Just saw a pre-screening of General's Daughter with John Travolta, Madeline Stowe, James Woods, James Cromwell, and Timothy Hutton--a smart, suspense drama. I recommend highly.
It's about the death of a high ranking army general's (Cromwell) daughter who is found raped and murdered under some highly unusual circumstances. Travolta and Stowe are the two military investigators who have only 36 hours to find the killer before the FBI takes over the investigation. However, both soon uncover intimate details about the sex life of the deceased, herself a captain in the military, which if released, would be greatly embarassing for the general. Because Travolta and Stone encounter a world of military cover-ups and are themselves attacked as an attempt to thwart their investigation, they must go deep into the past to answer the questions of the present.
Travolta is excellent. Ditto for Woods. Stowe is good although overshadowed by Travolta. Look for the intense scene between Travolta and Woods!
Suspicion, drama, action, entertainment--it's all there baby. Yet, more importantly it's filled with smart dialogue. Forget about the somewhat disappointing A Civil Action and go check out this puppy.
