General
Paramount Home Video
Cast: John Travolta, Madeleine Stowe, James Cromwell, Timothy Hutton
Extras: Featurette, Commentary track, Theatrical trailers, Deleted scenes, Alternate ending
Rating:
“The General’s Daughter” is a well-done army crime thriller that has a few intriguing edges despite the fact that the story itself is quickly becoming predictable at times. Placing a murder mystery with the confinements of the US Army however adds some interesting details, as the jurisdiction and procedures of crime investigation are very different from civil cases, allow for much more cover-up due to internal ranks than any civil investigation would allow. It is from this element that “The General’s Daughter” draws much of its power.
Paramount Home Video is presenting the movie in a very clean transfer on this disc in a letterboxed transfer. The presentation is in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio in a highly detailed anamorphic transfer. The image quality is meticulous, rendering a very deep and colorful image with balanced highlights. Color delineation is also flawless, giving the picture strong but never over-saturated colors and natural looking fleshtones. Shadows are very deep in this presentation but always maintain a good level of detail without dot crawling. The compression of the film has also been done without introducing artifacts of any sorts, although some edge enhancement is evident thoughout the film. Nonetheless, this is a great looking presentation.
The disc contains the movie’s original 5.1 channel Dolby Digital audio track, as well as a Dolby Surround track. The quality is excellent with a wide frequency response that restores the film’s track very naturally. The audio also has a good bass extension that gives the more dynamic scenes the impact and punch they require.
John Travolta is giving a good stature to the character of Paul Brenner, the primary investigator in the case surrounding the murder of “The General’s Daughter”, supported by a great cast. Their play and the beautiful photography, combined with the well-written script create a captivating thriller that will no doubt keep you hooked until the last minute.
