On G List of Movie Reviews

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The General (1998)

Rate: 9
Viewed: 6/20

6/20: Based on Paul Williams' eponymous biography, The General tells a true story about Martin Cahill, the leader of an Irish gang that pulled off two big-time heists with cunningness and intelligence.

I've never heard of the guy before, and it's interesting to find out who he was while watching the film. That's a very good performance by Brendan Gleeson who obviously should've nominated for Best Actor Oscar. The same goes for Seamus Deasy's black-and-white photography and John Boorman's direction.

Forget the fact that Jon Voight is billed second for the movie; he isn't shown that much and doesn't play a big role. This is Brendan Gleeson's show. There are also good performances from his Irish co-stars such as Adrian Dunbar, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Angeline Ball, and Sean McGinley.

There's a scene that actually happened to director John Boorman when his house was burglarized by Martin Cahill. He stole a watch from the wrist of a sleeping woman and a record which was later broken on purpose when he realized it wasn't made of real gold. Well, that one is the score for John Boorman's most famous movie Deliverance.

All in all, The General is a mesmerizing true crime picture.

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