The General's Daughter
Encyclopedia
The General's Daughter is a 1999 murder mystery film
starring John Travolta
. The plot concerns the mysterious death of the daughter of a prominent general
. The movie is based on the novel by the same name
written in 1992 by Nelson DeMille
, and was directed by Simon West
. The film was a box office success grossing $22 million in its opening weekend and $102 million in its total domestic run.
Topics of interest include the integrity of junior officers in bringing justice against senior ones at great odds and at personal peril. There is also interesting background material regarding the militia movement, "Freedom Fighters", and the prospect of military use of urban and psychological warfare tactics.
The plot of the movie is significantly different from that of the novel although the outcome is the same. For instance, in the novel Brenner never meets Elizabeth Campbell. The first time he sees her is at the murder scene.
), a Vietnam Veteran of the 196th LIB
, is in Georgia masquerading as First Sergeant Frank White at a local army base, to broker an illegal arms trade with a self-proclaimed freedom fighter. Part of the disguise of his character is speaking with a strong Southern accent. While on the base, his car gets a flat tire. He is on the side of the road trying to remove the wheel nuts with a small pair of pliers and not having much success when a pretty young officer arrives and helps him change the spare with her cross brace (lug wrench). The officer is Captain Elisabeth Campbell (Leslie Stefanson
), the base commanding general's daughter and army captain in psychological operations
. The next day Brenner calls in to see her with a basket full of chocolates and bath soaps as a thankyou to her for her help. Both times he is in contact with her he is keeping up the pretence with the Southern drawl. Elisabeth is at first warm to him but after a few minutes of conversation she becomes cool and distant, saying she has a lot of work to get through. The next evening, she is found murdered. Brenner and another warrant officer, Sara Sunhill (Madeleine Stowe
) are brought in to investigate, as both are part of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command
. At the scene, the base Provost Marshal, Colonel William Kent (Timothy Hutton
) and several of his military police have secured the area. Captain Campbell's nude body has been staked down with tent poles, strangled, and presumably raped. Colonel Kent has 2,000 military police that he is in charge of at the base and is considered both the police chief and the staff officer who advises Captain Campbell's father, Lieutenant General Joe Campbell (James Cromwell
), on all military police matters.
They search Elisabeth's home off base and find it typical of a career Army officer, with one exception: through a false door in the basement, they find what appears to be a sexual dungeon of sorts, with handcuffs, harnesses, and a camera connected to a VCR. Sunhill goes to their car to make a call from her cell phone, and while Brenner gathers the tapes, he is attacked by a masked figure armed with a steel snow shovel. The culprit manages to disorient Brenner long enough to steal the videotapes. Brenner questions Elisabeth's close confidante, Colonel Robert Moore (James Woods
), who also works in psy ops. Though cordial and somewhat cooperative, Moore is evasive when questioned, and gives an alibi of being in bed asleep at the time of the murder. However, this proves false when Moore's fingerprints are found on Elisabeth's dog tags that were found in a plastic trash bag several yards from her body, along with her clothing. Brenner arrests Moore on charges of conduct unbecoming an officer and takes him to jail.
Moore is later released by the officer in charge of the jail and restricted to house arrest. Brenner, Sunhill, and Colonel William Kent, return to Moore's home and find Moore dead on his couch with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to his forehead.
The General's adjutant
, Colonel George Fowler (Clarence Williams III
), attempts to close the investigation at the crime scene, stating that Moore killed himself out of guilt because he killed Elisabeth. Brenner states he intends to keep the case open and much tension is seen between them. Further cover-ups are revealed, and it's later learned that Elisabeth was sexually promiscuous with virtually all the officers that made up her father's staff. It's also revealed that Elisabeth was an honor student at West Point until her sophomore year and barely managed to graduate. Brenner and Sunhill visit Colonel Dr. Donald Slesinger (John Beasley
), the academy's psychiatrist, who explains that Captain Campbell had been gang raped by fellow trainees while a cadet at West Point. During a large training exercise of around 1000 personnel, she had found herself separated from her group and was jumped by six male cadets, beaten and raped all night, almost to the point of death and left to die in an isolated area (staked down in exactly the same manner she was murdered in). Luckily, another trainee group which had got lost, found Elisabeth and rescued her. Elisabeth never knew the names of her assailants, but Sunhill tracks down one of the attackers and engineers a confession by telling him the advances in DNA technology mean his 'gene prints' are traceable. She pretends that the bloodstained underwear she shows the soldier is the genuine article.
The agents pay a visit to the general, who corroborates the story. Fearing that the assailants would never be caught, Campbell acted upon the advice of another general and decided to cover up the incident since such a scandal would destroy the academy, not to mention his own ambitions to become Vice President of the United States. This denial of justice severely traumatized Elisabeth, causing her to partake in various violent sexual activities.
Campbell reveals that he did encounter his daughter the night of her murder, and that Elisabeth herself, with the aid of Moore, staged the reenactment of the academy incident in an attempt to force her father to face the truth he covered up. Unmoved, the General left Captain Campbell tied to the stakes.
Realizing that Kent is the only suspect left, Brenner decides to question him. He calls Sunhill but learns that she was returning to the murder scene...with Kent, who also wants to see Brenner. Brenner arrives and confronts Kent who admits his role in the killing, which he committed because he was the only one who had sex with Elisabeth that truly loved her, but she didn't want him. Captain Campbell told Colonel Kent that she despised him and threatened to tell his wife and kids about the affair. Kent then commits suicide with an anti-personnel mine.
Parallel to these events, Brenner and Sunhill manage to invalidate Campbell's reasons for the cover up by swiftly discovering and arresting all of his daughter's assailants (the charges they face guarantee a minimum of twenty years in prison). As Campbell prepares to get on the plane to accompany Elizabeth's body to the funeral, he is confronted by Brenner. Brenner lays the burden of his daughter's death on the general, stating that his betrayal of her was what really killed her and that Kent had just put her out of her misery. He then tells Campbell he will be court-martialled for conspiracy to conceal a crime, thus destroying the general's career.
As Campbell walks toward the plane, one is given to see that it is his end, as well as his daughter's, that he is approaching. The film ends with a montage of Elizabeth's happy childhood and Brenner and Sunhill departing in opposite directions and an admiring glance by Sunhill at the departing Brenner.
A written epilogue tells us that Campbell was found guilty for the crime and court-martialed. He disappears from public life, thus proving Brenner's words to be true.
(2001) and When a Stranger Calls
(2006). The movie was produced by Mace Neufeld. This movie was an adaptation of the best-selling book of the same name, written by Nelson DeMille
and published in 1992. The movie gathered 22 million dollars its opening weekend in the box office, but sales tailed off considerably after the initial buzz wore off.
with 19 out of 86 critics giving it a positive review with an average rating of 4.3/10. The consensus is "Contrived performances and over-the-top sequences offer little real drama".
Mystery film
Mystery film is a sub-genre of the more general category of crime film and at times the thriller genre. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of a crime by means of clues, investigation, and clever deduction.The...
starring John Travolta
John Travolta
John Joseph Travolta is an American actor, dancer and singer. Travolta first became known in the 1970s, after appearing on the television series Welcome Back, Kotter and starring in the box office successes Saturday Night Fever and Grease...
. The plot concerns the mysterious death of the daughter of a prominent general
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
. The movie is based on the novel by the same name
The General's Daughter (novel)
The General's Daughter is a 1992 novel by Nelson DeMille about a military investigation agent named Paul Brenner who is put in charge of investigating the death of Ann Campbell, the daughter of a legendary general....
written in 1992 by Nelson DeMille
Nelson DeMille
Nelson Richard DeMille is an American author of thriller novels. His works include Word of Honor , The Charm School, The Gold Coast, Plum Island, and The General's Daughter .DeMille has also written under the pen names Jack Cannon, Kurt...
, and was directed by Simon West
Simon West
Simon West is an English-born film director. West started as a film editor with the BBC, then directed documentaries and commercials including many for Budweiser...
. The film was a box office success grossing $22 million in its opening weekend and $102 million in its total domestic run.
Topics of interest include the integrity of junior officers in bringing justice against senior ones at great odds and at personal peril. There is also interesting background material regarding the militia movement, "Freedom Fighters", and the prospect of military use of urban and psychological warfare tactics.
The plot of the movie is significantly different from that of the novel although the outcome is the same. For instance, in the novel Brenner never meets Elizabeth Campbell. The first time he sees her is at the murder scene.
Plot
Chief Warrant Officer Four Paul Brenner (John TravoltaJohn Travolta
John Joseph Travolta is an American actor, dancer and singer. Travolta first became known in the 1970s, after appearing on the television series Welcome Back, Kotter and starring in the box office successes Saturday Night Fever and Grease...
), a Vietnam Veteran of the 196th LIB
196th Infantry Brigade (United States)
The 196th Infantry Brigade , also known as the Charger Brigade was first formed on 24 June 1921 as part of the United States Army Reserve's 98th Division with the responsibility of training soldiers.-World War II:...
, is in Georgia masquerading as First Sergeant Frank White at a local army base, to broker an illegal arms trade with a self-proclaimed freedom fighter. Part of the disguise of his character is speaking with a strong Southern accent. While on the base, his car gets a flat tire. He is on the side of the road trying to remove the wheel nuts with a small pair of pliers and not having much success when a pretty young officer arrives and helps him change the spare with her cross brace (lug wrench). The officer is Captain Elisabeth Campbell (Leslie Stefanson
Leslie Stefanson
Leslie Ann Stefanson is an American actress. She is most known for playing the title role as Capt. Elisabeth Campbell in the film The General's Daughter....
), the base commanding general's daughter and army captain in psychological operations
Psychological Operations (United States)
Psychological operations are planned operations to convey selected information and indicators to foreign audiences to influence their emotions, motives, objective reasoning, and ultimately the behavior of foreign governments, organizations, groups, and individuals.The purpose of United States...
. The next day Brenner calls in to see her with a basket full of chocolates and bath soaps as a thankyou to her for her help. Both times he is in contact with her he is keeping up the pretence with the Southern drawl. Elisabeth is at first warm to him but after a few minutes of conversation she becomes cool and distant, saying she has a lot of work to get through. The next evening, she is found murdered. Brenner and another warrant officer, Sara Sunhill (Madeleine Stowe
Madeleine Stowe
Madeleine Mora Stowe is an American actress. She rose to prominence appearing in films such as Stakeout, Revenge, Unlawful Entry, The Last of the Mohicans, Blink, China Moon, 12 Monkeys, and We Were Soldiers...
) are brought in to investigate, as both are part of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command
U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command
United States Army Criminal Investigation Command investigates felony crimes and serious violations of military law within the United States Army...
. At the scene, the base Provost Marshal, Colonel William Kent (Timothy Hutton
Timothy Hutton
Timothy Tarquin Hutton is an American actor. He is the youngest actor to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, which he won at the age of 20 for his performance as Conrad Jarrett in Ordinary People . He currently stars as Nathan "Nate" Ford on the TNT series Leverage.-Early life:Timothy...
) and several of his military police have secured the area. Captain Campbell's nude body has been staked down with tent poles, strangled, and presumably raped. Colonel Kent has 2,000 military police that he is in charge of at the base and is considered both the police chief and the staff officer who advises Captain Campbell's father, Lieutenant General Joe Campbell (James Cromwell
James Cromwell
James Oliver Cromwell is an American film and television actor. Some of his more notable roles are in Babe , for which he earned Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, Star Trek: First Contact , L.A...
), on all military police matters.
They search Elisabeth's home off base and find it typical of a career Army officer, with one exception: through a false door in the basement, they find what appears to be a sexual dungeon of sorts, with handcuffs, harnesses, and a camera connected to a VCR. Sunhill goes to their car to make a call from her cell phone, and while Brenner gathers the tapes, he is attacked by a masked figure armed with a steel snow shovel. The culprit manages to disorient Brenner long enough to steal the videotapes. Brenner questions Elisabeth's close confidante, Colonel Robert Moore (James Woods
James Woods
James Howard Woods is an American film, stage and television actor. Woods is known for starring in critically acclaimed films such as Once Upon a Time in America, Salvador, Nixon, Ghosts of Mississippi, Casino, and in the television legal drama Shark. He has won three Emmy Awards, and has gained...
), who also works in psy ops. Though cordial and somewhat cooperative, Moore is evasive when questioned, and gives an alibi of being in bed asleep at the time of the murder. However, this proves false when Moore's fingerprints are found on Elisabeth's dog tags that were found in a plastic trash bag several yards from her body, along with her clothing. Brenner arrests Moore on charges of conduct unbecoming an officer and takes him to jail.
Moore is later released by the officer in charge of the jail and restricted to house arrest. Brenner, Sunhill, and Colonel William Kent, return to Moore's home and find Moore dead on his couch with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to his forehead.
The General's adjutant
Adjutant
Adjutant is a military rank or appointment. In some armies, including most English-speaking ones, it is an officer who assists a more senior officer, while in other armies, especially Francophone ones, it is an NCO , normally corresponding roughly to a Staff Sergeant or Warrant Officer.An Adjutant...
, Colonel George Fowler (Clarence Williams III
Clarence Williams III
Clarence Williams III is an American actor.-Early life:Williams was born in New York City. His grandfather was Clarence Williams, the jazz pianist and composer. He was raised by his grandmother.-Career:...
), attempts to close the investigation at the crime scene, stating that Moore killed himself out of guilt because he killed Elisabeth. Brenner states he intends to keep the case open and much tension is seen between them. Further cover-ups are revealed, and it's later learned that Elisabeth was sexually promiscuous with virtually all the officers that made up her father's staff. It's also revealed that Elisabeth was an honor student at West Point until her sophomore year and barely managed to graduate. Brenner and Sunhill visit Colonel Dr. Donald Slesinger (John Beasley
John Beasley (actor)
John Beasley is an American actor known for his role as Irv Harper on the TV series Everwood and recurring roles on CSI, Millennium and The Pretender. He also portrayed General Lasseter in The Sum of All Fears and Rev. C. Charles Blackwell in The Apostle. In 1992 he played Jesse Hall's dad in the...
), the academy's psychiatrist, who explains that Captain Campbell had been gang raped by fellow trainees while a cadet at West Point. During a large training exercise of around 1000 personnel, she had found herself separated from her group and was jumped by six male cadets, beaten and raped all night, almost to the point of death and left to die in an isolated area (staked down in exactly the same manner she was murdered in). Luckily, another trainee group which had got lost, found Elisabeth and rescued her. Elisabeth never knew the names of her assailants, but Sunhill tracks down one of the attackers and engineers a confession by telling him the advances in DNA technology mean his 'gene prints' are traceable. She pretends that the bloodstained underwear she shows the soldier is the genuine article.
The agents pay a visit to the general, who corroborates the story. Fearing that the assailants would never be caught, Campbell acted upon the advice of another general and decided to cover up the incident since such a scandal would destroy the academy, not to mention his own ambitions to become Vice President of the United States. This denial of justice severely traumatized Elisabeth, causing her to partake in various violent sexual activities.
Campbell reveals that he did encounter his daughter the night of her murder, and that Elisabeth herself, with the aid of Moore, staged the reenactment of the academy incident in an attempt to force her father to face the truth he covered up. Unmoved, the General left Captain Campbell tied to the stakes.
Realizing that Kent is the only suspect left, Brenner decides to question him. He calls Sunhill but learns that she was returning to the murder scene...with Kent, who also wants to see Brenner. Brenner arrives and confronts Kent who admits his role in the killing, which he committed because he was the only one who had sex with Elisabeth that truly loved her, but she didn't want him. Captain Campbell told Colonel Kent that she despised him and threatened to tell his wife and kids about the affair. Kent then commits suicide with an anti-personnel mine.
Parallel to these events, Brenner and Sunhill manage to invalidate Campbell's reasons for the cover up by swiftly discovering and arresting all of his daughter's assailants (the charges they face guarantee a minimum of twenty years in prison). As Campbell prepares to get on the plane to accompany Elizabeth's body to the funeral, he is confronted by Brenner. Brenner lays the burden of his daughter's death on the general, stating that his betrayal of her was what really killed her and that Kent had just put her out of her misery. He then tells Campbell he will be court-martialled for conspiracy to conceal a crime, thus destroying the general's career.
As Campbell walks toward the plane, one is given to see that it is his end, as well as his daughter's, that he is approaching. The film ends with a montage of Elizabeth's happy childhood and Brenner and Sunhill departing in opposite directions and an admiring glance by Sunhill at the departing Brenner.
A written epilogue tells us that Campbell was found guilty for the crime and court-martialed. He disappears from public life, thus proving Brenner's words to be true.
Cast
- John TravoltaJohn TravoltaJohn Joseph Travolta is an American actor, dancer and singer. Travolta first became known in the 1970s, after appearing on the television series Welcome Back, Kotter and starring in the box office successes Saturday Night Fever and Grease...
- CWO4 Paul Brenner, U.S. Army CID - Madeleine StoweMadeleine StoweMadeleine Mora Stowe is an American actress. She rose to prominence appearing in films such as Stakeout, Revenge, Unlawful Entry, The Last of the Mohicans, Blink, China Moon, 12 Monkeys, and We Were Soldiers...
- CWO2 Sarah Sunhill, U.S. Army CID - James CromwellJames CromwellJames Oliver Cromwell is an American film and television actor. Some of his more notable roles are in Babe , for which he earned Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, Star Trek: First Contact , L.A...
- Lieutenant General Joseph Campbell - Timothy HuttonTimothy HuttonTimothy Tarquin Hutton is an American actor. He is the youngest actor to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, which he won at the age of 20 for his performance as Conrad Jarrett in Ordinary People . He currently stars as Nathan "Nate" Ford on the TNT series Leverage.-Early life:Timothy...
- Colonel William Kent - Leslie StefansonLeslie StefansonLeslie Ann Stefanson is an American actress. She is most known for playing the title role as Capt. Elisabeth Campbell in the film The General's Daughter....
- Captain Elisabeth Campbell - Daniel von BargenDaniel von BargenDaniel von Bargen is an American film, stage, and television actor.Best-known for his roles as Mr. Kruger on Seinfeld and Commandant Edwin Spangler on the TV comedy Malcolm in the Middle, Von Bargen's film credits include RoboCop 3, Basic Instinct, Broken Arrow, Universal Soldier: The Return,...
- Police Chief Yardley - Clarence Williams IIIClarence Williams IIIClarence Williams III is an American actor.-Early life:Williams was born in New York City. His grandfather was Clarence Williams, the jazz pianist and composer. He was raised by his grandmother.-Career:...
- Colonel George Fowler - James WoodsJames WoodsJames Howard Woods is an American film, stage and television actor. Woods is known for starring in critically acclaimed films such as Once Upon a Time in America, Salvador, Nixon, Ghosts of Mississippi, Casino, and in the television legal drama Shark. He has won three Emmy Awards, and has gained...
- Colonel Dr. Robert Moore, MDDoctor of MedicineDoctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools... - Mark Boone Jr. - Staff Sergeant Dalbert Elkins
- John BeasleyJohn Beasley (actor)John Beasley is an American actor known for his role as Irv Harper on the TV series Everwood and recurring roles on CSI, Millennium and The Pretender. He also portrayed General Lasseter in The Sum of All Fears and Rev. C. Charles Blackwell in The Apostle. In 1992 he played Jesse Hall's dad in the...
- Colonel Dr. Donald Slesinger, MDDoctor of MedicineDoctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools... - Boyd KestnerBoyd KestnerBoyd Kestner is an American actor, who starred in The Outsiders television series and later came to prominence in his role as Alex Barth in the television drama Knots Landing.-External links:...
- Captain Jake Elby - Brad BeyerBrad BeyerBradford G. Beyer, Jr. is an American actor.A native of Waukesha, Wisconsin and a graduate of Catholic Memorial High School, Beyer briefly attended the University of Minnesota before moving to New York to pursue an acting career, on the advice of a professor.Beyer's roles include guest appearances...
- Captain Bransford - John Benjamin HickeyJohn Benjamin HickeyJohn Benjamin Hickey is an American actor with a career in stage, film and television. He won the 2011 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play for his performance as Felix Turner in The Normal Heart....
- Captain Goodson
Production
The film was directed by Simon West who also directed Lara Croft: Tomb RaiderLara Croft: Tomb Raider
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider is a 2001 adventure thriller film adapted from the Tomb Raider video game series. Directed by Simon West and starring Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft, it was released in U.S. theaters on June 15, 2001. The film was a commercial success...
(2001) and When a Stranger Calls
When a Stranger Calls
When a Stranger Calls may refer to:* When a Stranger Calls , a horror film** When a Stranger Calls Back, the sequel of the 1979 film* When a Stranger Calls , a remake of the 1979 film...
(2006). The movie was produced by Mace Neufeld. This movie was an adaptation of the best-selling book of the same name, written by Nelson DeMille
Nelson DeMille
Nelson Richard DeMille is an American author of thriller novels. His works include Word of Honor , The Charm School, The Gold Coast, Plum Island, and The General's Daughter .DeMille has also written under the pen names Jack Cannon, Kurt...
and published in 1992. The movie gathered 22 million dollars its opening weekend in the box office, but sales tailed off considerably after the initial buzz wore off.
Differences between the novel and the film
As mentioned above, the film and novel's outcome does not deviate; however, there are some noticeable differences. Many characters have different first names, including the title character, who's named Ann instead of Elizabeth. Additionally, Paul Brenner, the protagonist, meets Elizabeth before her death in the film. In the novel, however, Brenner never meets "Elizabeth" nor "Ann"; in the novel; there is no scene in the book that involves Brenner being assaulted or knocked unconscious while alone in the basement collecting evidence on Campbell. Brenner and Sunhill leave the scene completely unharmed.Reception
The film had generally negative reviews with 22% approval rating on Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
with 19 out of 86 critics giving it a positive review with an average rating of 4.3/10. The consensus is "Contrived performances and over-the-top sequences offer little real drama".