The General's Daughter

Released 1999
Stars John Travolta, Madeleine Stowe, James Cromwell, Timothy Hutton, Clarence Williams III, James Woods, Rick Dial, Leslie Stefanson
Directed by Simon West

The General's Daughter is for all those who enjoy mystery/thrillers that neither attempt to break new ground nor are afraid to employ familiar plot devices. However, while originality isn't one of the film's hallmarks, it is a consistently involving effort, due in large part to solid acting by an A-list cast and effective storytelling by director Simon West. And, even though the overall arc of the movie travels some well-trodden roads, there are enough small twists and surprises to prevent The General's Daughter from seeming like a pale copy of other, similar efforts.

When we first meet John Travolta's Warrant Officer Paul Brenner, he's chomping on a cheap cigar and using his worst Bill Clinton accent. Fortunately, we soon learn that the accent is fake and the cigars are for show. He's an army cop working under cover to expose a soldier who's selling arms to a private citizen. Soon, Brenner has been called in to investigate the brutal rape, torture, and murder of Captain Elizabeth Campbell (Leslie Stefanson), the beautiful daughter of three-star General Joe Campbell, who's retiring from the army to pursue a vice presidential nomination. Paired with a former flame, rape investigator Sarah Sunderland (Madeleine Stowe), Brenner delves into the investigation, turning Fort MacCallum upside down in his quest for a suspect. He meets Elizabeth's mentor, Colonel Moore (James Woods), who enjoys playing mind games, and learns that not only was the murder victim involved in some unsavory sexual activities, but there's a skeleton in her closet.

Summary by James Berardinelli

I admired the darkly atmospheric look of the film, and the way it sustains its creepy mood. But I cringed when the death of the general's daughter was played out. Did the details have to be so graphic? Did we need to linger on the sight of a terrified woman? Did the filmmakers hesitate before supplying actual shots of her being strangled? Can anything be left to the imagination? I believe that any subject matter is legitimate for artistic purposes, but this isn't art. It's a thriller that could have spared us the details of that woman's horrible death.

Roger Ebert