The General (1998)

81% of critics liked it
(47 reviews)
81% of users liked it
(3,103 ratings)

John Boorman, who won the 1998 Cannes Film Festival's Direction award for this film, previously won the same Cannes award almost three decades earlier for his Leo the Last (1969) about an alienated aristocrat in a London slum. Shot in widescreen color (but printed in sharp black-and-white), The… More John Boorman, who won the 1998 Cannes Film Festival's Direction award for this film, previously won the same Cannes award almost three decades earlier for his Leo the Last (1969) about an alienated aristocrat in a London slum. Shot in widescreen color (but printed in sharp black-and-white), The General is a biographical portrait of ruthless Irish crime lord Martin Cahill, shot down outside his home by a single assassin on August 18, 1994. After this opening, the film then unfolds as a lengthy flashback of the events that led to his death, sketching in the raw beginnings of the youthful Martin (Eamonn Owens of The Butcher Boy) and moving into the Dublin slum of Hollyfield to show the adult Cahill (Brendan Gleeson) and his link to a local cop, Inspector Ned Kenny (Jon Voight). Various thefts enable Cahill to support his wife Frances (Maria Doyle Kennedy), his four children, and his sister-in-law Tina (Angeline Ball). As the years pass, Cahill rises as a mobster, bamboozling cops, constructing airtight alibis, pulling off a near-impossible jewel heist, and setting up a menage a trois with Frances and Tina. (Both actresses were seen previously in Alan Parker's The Commitments). ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: R, 2 hr. 4 min.
Directed By: John Boorman
Written By: John Boorman
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: Dec 18, 1998 Wide
On DVD: Jul 20, 1999
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics

Critic Reviews

Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
I can no longer stomach the premise in so many Anglo-American crime pictures that mavericks are admirable simply because they're mavericks
Derek Elley, Variety
A movie that says more about the rebellious Irish psyche than a heap of overtly political pictures.
Amy Taubin, Village Voice
The General is a refined, traditional movie about a character who is never more traditional than when he imagines himself outside the law. It's a great paradox, but it barely comes alive on the screen.
Charles Taylor, Salon.com
Gleeson is one of those rare actors who has an instinctive rapport with the audience from the moment he appears on-screen.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Boorman's film is shot in wide-screen black and white, and as it often does, black and white emphasizes the characters and the story, instead of setting them awash in atmosphere.
Edward Guthmann, San Francisco Chronicle
Gleeson plays Cahill as an ordinary man who does this stuff because he's good at it.
, Film4
The General is a welcome return to basics for Britain's most adventurous and visionary director, who has always stayed faithful to his love of cinema.
Ken Fox, TV Guide's Movie Guide
The film has little of the visual dazzle often associated with Boorman's movies, but the somber, black-and-white cinematography helps even out the often larger-than-life tone.
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
Enjoyable for what it is; problem is, what it is doesn't amount to much in the end.
Geoff Andrew, Time Out
All the performances are impressive, but Gleeson and Voight are especially memorable, lending an almost tragic air of inexorability to Cahill and Kenny's cat-and-mouse games.
Robin Clifford, Reeling Reviews
An interesting, entertaining view into the life of an Irish crime legend who is almost a Robin Hood, but not quite.
Judith Egerton, Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)
Neither Boorman's cinematic expertise nor Gleeson's canny performance is enough to make us care about Cahill's destruction.
Jake Euker, F5 (Wichita, KS)
The most lyric crime picture since Band of Outsiders, with a sublime performance by Gleeson at its core.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
The film glides on seriocomic wings and whisks us rapturously away. It ranks with Boorman's own classic crime film Point Blank (1967), and that's high praise.
Luke Y. Thompson, New Times
A well-made film, but a hard one to actually like.
Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
The General is more character study than cops-and-robbers action drama.

Read all 16 critic reviews

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Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Featured Audience Ratings

Bob S

John Boorman is an underrated director. Tell me the creators of The Sopranos didn't screen this. It's not perfect, in fact some of it is pretty tired - but it's got enough interesting stuff and Brendan Gleeson's portrayal of the Dublin crime cheiftan is… More
John Boorman is an underrated director. Tell me the creators of The Sopranos didn't screen this. It's not perfect, in fact some of it is pretty tired - but it's got enough interesting stuff and Brendan Gleeson's portrayal of the Dublin crime cheiftan is powerful and exciting.
Lucas M

A criative screenplay and terrific direction, just like the acting, The General is a great motion picture. Fresh.
Jim H

A thief, pursued by an old friend from the neighborhood, evades the cops and the IRA. Brendan Gleeson is fantastic as the eponymous character; he's both awkward and wily, not looking the part of the thief but pulling it off believably. The rest of the supporting cast supports… More
A thief, pursued by an old friend from the neighborhood, evades the cops and the IRA. Brendan Gleeson is fantastic as the eponymous character; he's both awkward and wily, not looking the part of the thief but pulling it off believably. The rest of the supporting cast supports Gleeson admirably, but even Jon Voight doesn't deliver a stand-out performance. The story is fairly basic -- a crime drama in which the criminal cleverly eludes his pursuers -- and I can't say that by the end of the film I cared about the characters. The film is so evenly presented that I wondered what it was saying. What is unique about this criminal that we haven't seen before besides his physique (compare Gleeson to George Clooney's Danny Ocean)? Overall, there's not a lot to feel strongly about in this film except Gleeson's superb performance.
Luke B

John Boorman delicately handles the life of a criminal. It's always a tough job to do because these are horrible people. They thrive on false placed loyalty and self pity that their lives aren't better. The film succeeds as it presents Cahill (accurately or not) as a… More
John Boorman delicately handles the life of a criminal. It's always a tough job to do because these are horrible people. They thrive on false placed loyalty and self pity that their lives aren't better. The film succeeds as it presents Cahill (accurately or not) as a mischievous little devil. His crimes are often funny, as is his relationship with the police. Like a good film should, it gradually shows his physical and mental deterioration. It isn't long before he is taken over by paranoia, and when the police begin to use his own form of harassment against him, we see a broken and sad man. As the film progresses, we see his associates as they truly are. Drugs addicts, sex offenders, terrorists, we get the sense that Cahill realises he is not the romanticised character he is. Great stuff all round, with a moody saxophone score, and stunning performances.
Lady D

Brendon Gleeson pulls off the lesser glamorised version of events concerning the infamous Northern Irish Career Criminal known as ?The General? than Kevin Spacey did in the later film called ?Ordinary Decent Criminal?. This version shows a slightly more violent approach, to the… More
Brendon Gleeson pulls off the lesser glamorised version of events concerning the infamous Northern Irish Career Criminal known as ?The General? than Kevin Spacey did in the later film called ?Ordinary Decent Criminal?. This version shows a slightly more violent approach, to the events which led up to his hit and shows more of the crimes he committed along with the love triangle with his wife and her Sister and their children. Actually quite comical in parts, Gleeson managed to come across as a cross between Ray Winstone and the Gene Hackman at times, but played an enjoyable role.
Anthony L

I liked this film but I'm a stickler for the truth and I'm not sure the real General should be so fondly remembered. What do I know though. A good film with the brilliant Brendan Gleeson!
Alex F

Finally Brendan Gleeson playing a main character. Worth watching just because of him.