The General Review

SPOILERS

Number 111 on the top 1000 films of all time is the 1998 Irish biopic crime drama The General.

The General follows the story of real-life Irish crime boss Martin Cahill, also known as "The General." (Brendan Gleeson.) Beginning as a petty thief, he rises through the ranks to become a powerful crime lord who commits brazen robberies.  During his journey, he attracts the unwanted attention of the IRA, the UVF and policeman Ned Kenny (Jon Voight.)

The most striking thing about The General is that it is filmed entirely in black and white.  This was a really interesting stylistic choice from director John Boorman.  This gave the film a neo-noir tone.  It felt like I was watching a crime film from the fifties, and this helped to create a great atmosphere.  Also as the film is actually an extended flashback, it helped to create a nostalgic feel.

I have many reviewers on IMDB praise Brendan Gleeson's brilliant performance, which I also have to give credit to.  Martin Cahill is very much an anti-hero.  He's obviously charismatic and powerful, as he commands the love and loyalty of his own criminal gang and his two lovers.  He also stays true to his own beliefs and moral code.  A large portion of the film is dedicated to him stubbornly moving to leave his caravan to make room for a building project to start.  Even when his caravan is burnt down, he stays in a tent.  However, The General does not gloss over his more sadistic nature.  Cahill tortures one of his underlings for information by literally nailing him to a snooker table.

A subplot sees Cahill's right-hand man Noel Curley (Adrian Dunbar) sexually assault his daughter after drunkenly mistaking her for his deceased wife.  To help cover up the crime, Cahill and Curley stage a break-in at Curley's apartment.  For added realism, Cahill decides to shoot Curley in the leg.  However, he instead shoots him in the knee.  I think this was purely out of spice on Cahill's part.  And a brief aside to acknowledge the great supporting performances from Jon Voight and Adrian Dunbar.  They were just as great as Brendan Gleeson.

What was great about Gleeson's characterisation is how he portrayed Martin Cahill as a three-dimensional character.  It would be easy to show him as a flat, horrible villain, and yes he is horrible and villainous, but he is also a person.  The General portrayed his life without romanticising it.  Rather it lets the audience make up their own minds.

Lastly, I liked how the film ended.  One of Cahill's most audacious criminal acts was stealing paintings that were worth millions.  He then sold these to the UVF to help them fund their fight against the IRA.  In retaliation, the IRA assassinate him.  This was a nice portrayal of the cyclical nature of crime.  What goes around comes around.

Overall, The General was a good film.  It was entertaining to watch with strong performances.  While it wasn't always the easiest to follow,