The General's Daughter (1999)

2 out of 4

Starring: John Travolta, Madeleine Stowe, James Cromwell, James Woods, Leslie Stefanson

Director: Simon West

Time: 116 mins

It seems the military is an institution that holds a lot of deep, dark secrets. Noble as their efforts are when called to defend and uphold freedom, any hint of scandal or controversy and their high standing among the community is tainted. There have been many incidents in the past few years where the practices of certain military units have been leaked and shown to be shocking, barbaric and unthinkable. Sexual harassment, rape, and rough initiation ceremonies for new recruits have scarred the honourable intentions of those that fought for us in wars past. What's worse is that some of these practices seem to be tolerated, and even concealed from the general public, if only to avoid media controversy.

The General's Daughter examines one such case of deceit. It follows in the footsteps of past military investigation dramas such as A Few Good Men and Courage Under Fire. All three are about military cover-ups surrounding the death of a soldier or officer. Though The General's Daughter contains secrets as shocking as A Few Good Men and Courage Under Fire, it is less successful as a whole, mainly because the death is secondary to the aim of establishing an incident that is as nasty and shameful as possible.

John Travolta is Paul Brenner, a military detective called in to investigate the rape and murder of Captain Elizabeth Campbell (Leslie Stefanson), the beautiful daughter of political aspirant General Joseph Campbell (L.A. Confidential's Cromwell). He is aided by Officer Sunhill (Stowe), with whom he has had a past. (Thankfully we don't have further development of their relationship - there are only so many storylines where the protagonists have had a tangled romantic history that I can take!) Their probing leads to the discovery of sordid details regarding the victim's love life, in which Colonel Moore (James Woods in another deliciously sly turn) is a prominent figure. A clue dropped by Moore takes Brenner and Sunhill to West Point Military Academy, where a horrific revelation about Campbell's past steers them to the truth.

One of the main problems with The General's Daughter is that, once the grisly secrets have been unveiled, and we have been given time to digest and become appropriately sickened, we mechanically return to the who, how, and why-dunnit portion. The resolution of this, which is supposed to be the point of the film, is almost an afterthought. Compare with A Few Good Men, which knew it was a courtroom drama, and gave us the expected fireworks (and how!) that are usually associated with these films, including the celebrated "You can't handle the truth!" showdown. Not that I'm saying every courtroom drama should have these verbal clashes, but at least A Few Good Men didn't disappoint. And Courage Under Fire, though not a showcase for high-powered confrontations, still satisfies when the mystery behind Meg Ryan's death in the Gulf War is uncovered.

Travolta is a charismatic and capable actor, as he showed in films like Pulp Fiction, Broken Arrow and Face/Off. Here he is fairly bland (even temporarily resorting to his southern-accented, Bill Clinton portrayal from Primary Colors at the start of the film, though in fairness it was for an undercover case he was working on), though he does utter a few humorous quips. Stowe's character is not well-developed, but she shines in one scene when she interrogates a young soldier in his locker room. Supporting players like Cromwell are adequate, and Stefanson, as the victim, is alternately cool, detached, pitiable, and finally sympathetic. Once again, however, it's Woods who stands out. A Few Good Men may have had Jack Nicholson as a scene-stealer, but Woods is effective in his own way. His tete-a-tete with Travolta in his own office smoulders with tension.

The General's Daughter did respectable business at the US box office, due in no small part to its tantalising and almost taboo subject matter (sex/murder scandal in the military? Heavens!). While entertaining enough, its structure and plot doesn't quite hold true. For a similar, and better film, see Courage Under Fire and/or A Few Good Men.

(c) Joe Wong