What happens when the institution you have dedicated your life to — one supposedly upholding the values of honor, integrity, and loyalty — betrays you and leaves you for dead? “The Generals Daughter,” the 1999 thriller directed by Simon West (“Con Air,” “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider”), investigates this question with devastating results.
Starring John Travolta, Madeleine Stowe, James Woods, and James Cromwell, “The Generals Daughter” is a military procedural tinted with Freudian melodrama and Southern Gothic horror. Based on the 1992 Nelson DeMille novel of the same name, “The Generals Daughter” revolves around the brutal murder of a beautiful, seemingly perfect female captain at a Georgia Army base. Travolta and Stowe are led down a dark trail as they discover the cover-up of a gang rape at West Point and its connection to a potential vice presidential candidate — the victims father.
The films complicated plot, heavy use of flashbacks, and a long lineup of suspects make it possible for the audience to miss the finer details of the mystery. Though it grossed $102.7 million domestically, “The Generals Daughter” was generally panned by critics on Rotten Tomatoes. In his 1999 review, Roger Ebert called it a “well-made film … populated by edgy performances” but criticized the central murder as “unnecessarily graphic and gruesome” (via RogerEbert.com). Sadly, the plot of “The Generals Daughter” remains relevant 22 years after its release: Per NPR, one in four women in the U.S. military are victims of sexual assault.
The General’s Daughter depicts a culture of abuse and silence
Sunhill and Brenner meet Elisabeths psychiatrist, who reveals the source of her trauma. During a nighttime training exercise, Elisabeth was attacked by cadets who gang-raped her and staked her down in the same position as when she was found dead. Sunhill tracks down a witness who confesses that the male cadets hated Elisabeth for outperforming them. Brenner demands to know why Elisabeths attackers were never arrested, and Campbell admits that West Point convinced him to cover up the assault. When he visited Elisabeth in the hospital, Campbell told her to forget it ever happened, breaking her heart.
“The Generals Daughter” is a work of fiction, but the events depicted reflect real abuses that have happened in the U.S. military. Many viewers seeing the film for the first time in 1999, for example, would have had recent memories of the 1991 Tailhook and 1996 Aberdeen Proving Ground Army base sexual abuse scandals. A general covering up the assault of his own daughter is an extreme bit of dramatic license taken by the film, but as of 2021, only 27 percent of military sexual assault survivors file reports, with researchers suspecting retaliation and intimidation are used by perpetrators, and those higher up the chain of command, as silencing tactics (via The Military Times).
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINNs National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
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The general’s daughter is the film’s focus – and its victim
The title character is Capt. Elisabeth Campbell (Leslie Stefanson), who works in psychological operations at Fort MacCallum in Georgia. One night, she stops to help Paul Brenner (John Travolta), a chief warrant officer in the United States Army Criminal Investigation Division Command, fix his flat tire.
The following night, Elisabeth is murdered. The crime scene is gruesome and bizarre: Elisabeth was strangled, with her body stripped naked and tied to the ground spread-eagle with stakes. Col. Bill Kent (Timothy Hutton) calls Brenner to investigate, and Brenner is distraught to see Elisabeth dead. He is also upset to learn that her father is “Fighting” Joe Campbell (James Cromwell), a general about to retire to pursue a political career and a vice-presidential hopeful. Campbell was Brenners commanding officer in Vietnam, and he credits Campbell for getting him home alive. Though Brenner had only just met Elisabeth, the case is now incredibly personal.
Also personal is the arrival of Sara Sunhill (Madeleine Stowe), a rape specialist who joins the investigation. Sunhill had an affair with Brenner years ago in Brussels, and their feelings for each other are unresolved. Campbell pressures Brenner and Sunhill to find the killer as soon as possible; they obtain Elisabeths records, which mention that her grades mysteriously plummeted her second year at West Point. To solve the mystery of Elisabeths murder, they need to solve the mystery of Elisabeths life.
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One night, she stops to help Paul Brenner (John Travolta), a chief warrant officer in the United States Army Criminal Investigation Division Command, fix his flat tire.
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