The General |  | Director: John Boorman
Actors: Brendan Gleeson, Adrian Dunbar, Sean McGinley, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Angeline Ball
Studio: Sony Pictures
Category: DVD
List Price: $24.96
Buy Used: $7.88
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Rating:  23 reviews
Format: Anamorphic, Black & White, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
DVD Layers: 1
DVD Sides: 2
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 124 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: COLD03726D
ISBN: 0767833600
UPC: 043396037267
EAN: 9780767833608
Theatrical Release Date: December 18, 1998
Release Date: July 20, 1999
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
The true story of master thief martin cahill the irish robin hood who stole over $60 million until the ira decided to put him out of business once and for all. Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 06/24/2008 Starring: Brendan Gleeson Jon Voight Run time: 124 minutes Rating: R Director: John Boorman
Amazon.com
Best known for Deliverance (1972), John Boorman produced what is arguably his greatest film with Point Blank (1967). In that ambiguous gangster flick, set in a pastel L.A. wasteland, Lee Marvin may or may not be a walking dead man, animated by the desire to avenge his fatal betrayal by the woman he loved and his best friend. Many of Boorman's films take the form of quests, fueled by some dream of utopia; on some level, Point Blank is the tragedy of a just man, appalled and ultimately defeated by the complexity of his world's corruption. The General begins with the death of Martin Cahill--celebrated Dublin gangster who stole millions during the 1980s--then literally reverses the approach and assault of his IRA assassin, flashing back in time, back through Cahill's colorful, criminal quest for his kind of ideal community. Boorman says his Cahill is a throwback to those Celtic chieftains of old who ruled by thievery and violence; as an anachronism, this charming, brutal bear of a man (perfectly incarnated by Brendan Gleeson) is undeniably reprehensible, but he stands in deliberate contrast to the institutionalized hypocrisy and corruption of church, state, and IRA alike. Brazenly hanging out in police HQ to establish an alibi; maneuvering gracefully through perfectly choreographed heists; dispensing affection to his wife, and her sister; nailing the hands of a suspected cheat to a pool table; handing out food to women whose husbands are out of work--Gleeson's bluff, often comic gangster is always bigger than life, an eruption of unsocialized energy through the layers-deep sediment of socially acceptable sin. (In real life as in the film, Cahill always hid his face under a sweatshirt hood, or behind his spread fingers--he looks like some mischievous, giant-child.) Shot by the great Seamus Deasey in color, then transferred to black-and-white stock, The General is visually voluptuous, the anatomy of a charismatic monster's soul expressed in lustrous light, silken shades of gray, and ebony shadows. --Kathleen Murphy
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 23
 cant view dvd July 1, 2009
Ms. Lj Harrison (england)
i boult this dvd on behalf of my mum she had hear of her friend that it was a good movie. i knew it was coming from a different contry but did not relise it would not work on my dvd player
can anyone help me with this problem? plz
 The General May 14, 2009
M. Carter
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Hi Amazon:
This was a lucky find. I couldn't track it down till now. Dad has a VHS so we were away.
Very good movie depicting this bank robber guy in Dublin and how he slipped through the cracked for a very long time. Worth watching to get an idea what it's like to be involved in gang activity whether it's Ireland or Los Angelos.
Interesting watching the denial about the situation.
Regards,
Marie
 REALLY ENJOYED IT March 23, 2009
FUZZY SKULL (NORTHPORT, NEW YORK USA)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I caught "The General" half way through on cable one night and was so interested I then purchased it used here on Amazon. I have to say I really enjoyed this production. from the story , to the acting which was excellent by the way to the cinematography.I have seen some reviewers complaining, that the character in the film was nothing like the real Martin Cahill and all I can say to that is " No Kidding " this is a movie not a Documentary or Biography on Martin Cahill aka The General .As far as entertainment. It was excellent in my opinion.Yes it was based on life and exploits of the General, but key word here is "based" The makers never said it was the definitive Martin Cahill Bio Pic. As an American I found it rather refreshing to see a gangster movie that was not non stop shoot outs and automatic weapons, but rather a film that built upon dialogue and acting and story.Some reviewers said it moved to slow for thee taste, I have to say it seemed more then well paced in my humble opinion.Don't miss this one. Not your run of the mill Gangster shoot em up.
Story of the 1980's Irish criminal - folk hero Martin Cahill September 15, 2008
C. J. Leach (Midwest, United States)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This film tells the story from the 1980's of the celebrated Irish thief and sometimes folk hero, Martin Cahill.
An interesting film. I am not as well educated on the turmoil of Irish politics in that era as I would like to be. It appears to me that Cahill is presented as the enemy of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in that he was a competitor in crime -- and he was simulyaneously an enemy of the ruling government, simply in that he was a career criminal with some notorious heists to his credit and a bent for thumbing his nose at the authorities. He had meager beginnings, but clawed his way up. He lived very comfortably. He was also living in an open bigamous relationship with his wife and her sister. I think he is rather inappropriately potrayed as a kind of Robin Hood. His story has parallels as well to Al Capone, however. Cahill is merely a theiving thug, with no activity in prostitution, drugs, protection rackets, etc. He is vocal against illicit drugs, but is shown to have engaged in jury tampering (a most egregious crime in my opinion). In the end -- he was just a criminal with high aspirations, and not a hero by any measure.
As I said, this is an interesting film and an interesting story. Brendan Gleeson is absolutely believable as the hulking Cahill. Superb performance. John Voight is as believable as the understated Irish cop that hounds Cahill, accent and all.
Strange film technique, ranging from full color to black and white, to a muted in-between. I had trouble deciding if it was a production defect or a technical ploy by the director. Maybe a second viewing would reveal something. I had a little difficulty hearing much of the dialogue through the authentic but thick Irish accents. Fimed on location in Dublin.
An "off the beaten track" movie that I think was worth my time.
Fine, Little-Noticed Gangster Flick October 22, 2007
Stephanie DePue (Carolina Beach, NC USA)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
"The General,"(1998), a fine, Dublin-set gangster flick based on the life of well-known Irish gangster Martin Cahill, was written by (film script, that is), produced by, and directed by British director John Boorman. It can only be described as latter-day film noir; it was theatrically released in black and white, is shot through with the darkest of humor, and does not end well for its gangster protaganist. It received a Boston Society Film Critics Award upon release.
The movie utilizes the flashback and frame mechanism, so we know its outcome from its beginning. Cahill (superbly played by Brendan Gleeson), goes through the gangster's usual career arc: tough kid from tough project; increasingly successful, big, talk of the town thefts; finally, too high a profile, which is his undoing: he is, increasingly, seen as an enemy by the then very powerful Irish Republican Army.
Gleeson, a talented, flexible, very popular actor, though not a very good-looking one, may never have played lead in any other movie, although he's made many. But he inhabits Cahill, called "The General" by his troops, as if born to play the titular part. He's sure perfect for it physically. He's ably assisted by the also very popular Adrian Dunbar, as his lieutenant, Noel. Sean McGinley does a memorable turn as Gary, one of the regulars. The lucky, or unlucky sisters, depending on how you feel about their situation, who spend their lives mixed up with Cahill, are also young women we've seen before-- Maria Doyle Kennedy and Angeline Ball, who were two of the three girls singing backup in "The Commitments." The American Jon Voigt, who plays Cahill's Javert, Inspector Ned Kenny, manages to do it quite well, and in as thick and incomprehensible a Dublin accent as any of the others. This company achieves some very powerful, profoundly troubling, scenes together.
The compact disc is rather an oddity; you can watch the picture in black and white, or in "desaturated color." If you pick color, you are getting a censored, cleaned-up script. The disc also offers those more legible yellow subtitles, in English. If you were born on this side of the Atlantic, you'd better go for them: that Dublin accent is very very difficult. It is a pity; the movie's flaws militate against its popularity, and it deserves better.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 23
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