Madeleine Stowe and John Travolta in "The General's Daughter."

MOVIE INFORMATION

With 10 as a must-see, Jack gives this film a: Stars: John Travolta and James Woods Director: Simon West Rated: R, with profanity, strong violence, rape and rough sex Length: 116 minutes

ROCHESTERCRITIQUE

Having seen this film, how would you rate it? 10 5 9 4 8 3 7 2 6 1

By Jack Garner
Democrat and Chronicle

(June 18, 1999) -- The Long Gray Line of West Point lore becomes a stone wall of silence in The General's Daughter, a muddled mystery tale of rape and murder on a steamy Georgia Army base.

John Travolta stars as Warrant Officer Paul Brenner, a top investigator with the Army's Criminal Investigation Division.

He's assigned to solve the brutal death of Capt. Elisabeth Campbell (Leslie Stefanson), a soldier at Fort MacCallum who just happens to be the daughter of Gen. "Fighting Joe" Campbell (James Cromwell), a bona fide war hero and contender for a vice presidential nomination.

Early in the film, Brenner spouts a list of every conceivable motive for murder -- and before The General's Daughter concludes, nearly every one of them has its moment in the film's cluttered spotlight.

The potential suspects include Campbell's immediate base supervisor, Col. Moore (James Woods), the provost marshall, Col. Kent (Timothy Hutton), the general's adjutant, Col. Fowler (Clarence Williams III), along with just about every soldier and civilian within a 30-mile radius.

You see, Capt. Campbell was a busy lass, having slept with nearly all of the above. To call her sexually dysfunctional isn't the half of it; a traumatic incident a decade ago at West Point has left her emotionally scarred.

That past, of course, becomes the focus of Brenner's investigation, though he's thwarted by efforts to protect the reputation of the Army in general, and West Point in particular.

Before The General's Daughter concludes, every possible suspect is paraded into the ring of guilt. But when the denouement comes, it's a big-league disappointment.

The first rule of a mystery is to allow the audience to play the game. But here we're never told why we should suspect the eventual murderer. The movie is a cheat.

Despite these flaws, Travolta holds our attention through the sheer will of his character. He reportedly contributed much of the humor that helps flesh out the screenplay. Brenner is a wise-cracking, tough-as-nails cop in khaki who enlivens every scene he's in -- a film-noir detective who has sidestepped into a military drama.

Madeleine Stowe, however, is saddled with the largely superfluous role of Brenner's investigating partner (and former love interest).

And the screenplay jams in too many plot points and supporting characters. The results sometimes play like a two-hour condensation of a four-hour TV miniseries.

Ultimately, the film is supposed to be about the relationship between a career Army father and his dutiful daughter. But we're too busy juggling the red herrings and loose ends to notice.