The General's Daughter (1999)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 1999
	Director: Simon West (Con Air, The Expendables 2)
	Actors: John Travolta (Saturday Night Fever, Face/Off, Pulp Fiction), Madeleine Stowe (12 Monkeys), James Cromwell (Babe, I Robot), James Woods (Contact, Vampires)
	Country: USA
	Genre: Thriller
	Conditions of visioning: 16.10.2017, VOD, 40" TV screen
Synopsis: When the daughter of a well-known and well-respected base commander (Cromwell) is murdered, an army detective (Travolta) is summoned to look into the matter, and will uncover a much more complex case than he thought at first.
Review: I didn't remember it at first but soon I realized I had in fact seen that movie. I would say it is quite typical from that period, just before 9/11, when the most recent action from the US military was the Gulf War in the early 90's. Terrorism hadn't hit American soil yet. There exist a few investigation Thrillers taking place in the special environment of the military (remember in particular A few good Men with Tom Cruise), in which the rules are different as clearly stated to the detective by the commander as they first meet. And throughout the movie you can feel the frustration played by Travolta as his character knows that everybody is hiding something, and has something to hide. The introduction scene of Travolta is a bit over-the-top but otherwise I found him good in the role, and I loved seeing James Cromwell and James Woods that I find both too rare those days (especially Woods). Madeleine Stowe plays a much-needed female figure in an otherwise ultra-male world, except for the victim, herself a special case because of her father and her background and character (I won't say more). Travolta is definitely at the top of his game, facing new clues and obstacles as they are brought to him by a story that never gets boring. A good memory from year 1999.
Rating: 6 /10