The General (1998)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

John Boorman

Writers:

John Boorman (writer)
Paul Williams (novel)

Release Date:

18 December 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

The extraordinary true story of the rise and fall of the gangster, Martin Cahill.

Plot:

The real-life story of Dublin folk hero and criminal Martin Cahill, who pulled off two daring robberies in Ireland with his team...

Plot Keywords:

Police | Robbery | Irish | Gangster | Money

Awards:

9 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Brendan Gleeson	...	Martin Cahill
Adrian Dunbar	...	Noel Curley
Sean McGinley	...	Gary
Maria Doyle Kennedy	...	Frances
Angeline Ball	...	Tina
Jon Voight	...	Inspector Ned Kenny
Eanna MacLiam	...	Jimmy
Tom Murphy	...	Willie Byrne
Paul Hickey	...	Anthony
Tommy O'Neill	...	Paddy
John O'Toole	...	Shea
Ciarán Fitzgerald	...	Tommy
Ned Dennehy	...	Gay
Vinny Murphy	...	Harry (as Vinnie Murphy)
Roxanna Williams	...	Orla

Also Known As:

I Once Had a Life

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and pervasive language.

Runtime:

124 min

Country:

UK | Ireland

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Australia:M | France:U | New Zealand:M | Portugal:M/16 | South Korea:15 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland

Company:

J & M

Trivia:

The home of director John Boorman was robbed by the real life Martin Cahill. Among other things, he stole a gold record that Boorman had on the wall, which inspired Boorman to include that scene in the movie.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Set in 1984, the background of the anti-drug march features a car with a license plate beginning with "96," indicating 1996.

Quotes:

Martin Cahill: We never should have bought this house. You never own things. You never own things. The things own you.

Movie Connections:

References Deliverance (1972)

What quality filmmaking is all about, in "General".

In a small way, I'm almost glad that all films aren't as good as "The General". It's dripping with one of those intangible elements that seems to escape other films. Sheer quality craftsmanship and excellent storytelling.

There's a very rich quality to this film. What we see on screen merely scrapes the surface of a full history that is eluded to but not entirely exposed explicitly, which is what I think works best to keep interests up. Just brilliant film work in every regard makes this story come to life. Crime, ethics, political standpoints and complex relationships.

Martin Cahill, the film's central character, is the anti-hero thief, something of a modern day Robin Hood but much more visceral. I understand that John Boorman was allegedly one of Cahill's break-in victims. From what we see in the film, he remains constant to his own beliefs and principles, even if that means breaking the law at every turn. His schemes and plots to outwit the cops are so simple and effective you can't help but like him. He's very clever despite a lack of education, and he doesn't shift to the world around him as much as it shifts for him. His biggest weakness appears to be cream filled pastries. Even if he's been beaten, he won't allow his adversaries the pleasure of seeing him suffer in any way.

I don't know how faithful the film is to the truth, history or the spirit of Cahill's actions. But one thing I do know is that the superb craftsmanship of this film should propel it on to everyone's must see list, but that's not too likely to be. At least for North American audiences this film has many things going against it. It's in black and white. The Irish accents are thick and difficult to understand at times. It doesn't seem to have the sort of advertising campaign that it deserves. And worst of all, it appears to have unanimous critical acclaim. Often great films aren't hits, they don't strike a chord with the masses, but in my book, that's fine. You can only tell the quality of a great film in comparison to one that's inferior. Personal taste aside, this film is simply done extremely well.