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The General [DVD] [1998]
 
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The General [DVD] [1998]

 Suitable for 15 years and over   DVD
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
Price: £6.37 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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Customers buy this item with Veronica Guerin [DVD] [2003] £4.97

The General [DVD] [1998] + Veronica Guerin [DVD] [2003]
Price For Both: £11.34

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Product details

  • Format: PAL
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Classification: 15
  • Studio: Warner Home Video
  • DVD Release Date: 14 Aug 2006
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B000EZ3DVY
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 4,990 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)

Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review

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, fuelled 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 institutionalised hypocrisy and corruption of church, state, and IRA alike. Brazenly hanging out in police HQ to establish an alibi; manoeuvring 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 colour, 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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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 16 people found the following review helpful
By Lawrance M. Bernabo HALL OF FAME TOP 1000 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE
Format:VHS Tape
The home of director John Boorman was one robbed by Martin Cahill, whostole, among other things, the gold record from Boorman's wall for"Dueling Banjos," the hit single from his film "Deliverance." That sceneis included in Boorman's 1998 film "The General," along with Cahill'sdisgust at learning gold records are not made of gold, and helps toestablish the idea that Cahill is an engaging rogue. Most of thatparticular task is accomplished by Brendan Gleason, who creates such alikeable character that when he nails one of his men to a snooker table toforce a confession, we are inclined to overlook the act of violence.
I checked out "The General" after watching "Veronica Guerin," in whichCahill's murder is an early scene. Ironically, both films begin the sameway, with the death of the title character. We then go back to the pointin their lives where the filmmaker begins to explain how they came to sucha violent end. Cahill starts off stealing potatoes and promising youngFrances that he will never be caught. Having been forced to break thispromise once he grows up to be man who plans on avoiding returning toprison by planning his robberies with such care than he is nicknamed "TheGeneral." But he also has a great sense of flair, which he demonstrateswhen his wife and mistress, who happen to be sisters, persuade him to buya house for 80,000 pounds. Then there is his habit of always wearing ahood or having his hand in front of his face in public so that his picturecan never be taken.
The Dublin police play into making Cahill look good by sinking to hislevel and well below. There is also the clear implication at the start ofthe film that there were complicit in Cahill's murder, although more by anact of omission than commission. So when the police put first Cahill andthen his gang under 24-hour surveillance, we enjoy it as he finds a seriesof ways to get the better of them, with relative ease. In the end, it isnot his dealings with the police, but rather his disdain for the IRA thatis going to get him killed.
Jon Voight plays Ned Kenny, the cop turned inspector who is supposed to beCahill's nemesis, but who does not really get to do enough to even be amodel of futility in his pursuit of the criminal and his gang. AdrianDunbar as Noel Curley and Sean McGiley as Gary are Cahill's chief henchmenand it was a treat to see two-thirds of the backup singers from "TheCommittments" showing up in this film, with Maria Doyle Kennedy as Francesand a black tressed Angeline Ball as Tina.
I keep seeing comparisons between Cahill and Robin Hood, followed by aninevitable caveat that Cahill took from the rich and kept it for himself,but I think that misses the mark. Cahill is more in the mode of JesseJames, who also enjoyed popular support in his community without alwaysspreading around the wealth. The American outlaw also had more of aviolent streak, even in the popular folklore about his robberies, than theoutlaw of Sherwood Forest. Consequently I see the Robin Hood analogy asanother attempt to make Cahill look better than he was, which Boorman'sfilm has absolutely no trouble doing. In the end, "The General" isneither a celebration of Cahill's life nor a warning about the path to beavoided, but a look at a captivating rogue, which is always an interestingjourney.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Trevor Willsmer HALL OF FAME TOP 10 REVIEWER
Format:DVD
John Boorman's 1998 The General was hailed as a major comeback, though it's hard to see why on the evidence of the film itself. One of three films made that year about famed Dublin criminal Martin Cahill (alongside Ordinary Decent Criminal and Vicious Circles), it has an abundance of incident and style (the film was shot in color but released in b&w Scope in some territories) but makes absolutely no impact and just goes on forever. With a main character who threatens witnesses, car bombs doctors, causes a hundred people to lose their jobs, tries to buy off the sexually abused daughter of one of his gang to keep out of jail and nails one of his own to a snooker table yet still remains a popular local legend and an attractive enough personality for his wife to not only approve but actually suggest a ménage a trios with her sister, it needs a charismatic central performance to sell the character and the film. It doesn't get it. Instead, it's lumbered with what may well be Brendan Gleeson's worst and most disinterested performance: he delivers his lines and stands in the right place but there's nothing to suggest either a local hero or the inner workings of a complex character. On the plus side, this helps not to overglamorize a character who is nothing more than an egotistical thug, but it's at odds with a script that seems to be expecting us to love him and his antics.

There's a minor section that picks up interest when the IRA whips up a local hate campaign against the `General' and his men, painting them as `anti-social' drug dealers purely because Cahill won't share his loot from a robbery with them, but its temporary resolution is so vaguely shot - something to do with Cahill donning a balaclava and joining the protestors which we're expected to find loveably cheeky - that it's just thrown away. Things are more successful in the last third as the pressure mounts and his army falls apart, but by then it's too late to really care. Adrian Dunbar, Maria Doyle Kennedy and the gorgeous Angeline Ball do good work in adoring supporting roles, but Jon Voight's hammy Garda beat cop seems to be there more for American sales than moral balance, overcompensating for Gleeson's comatose non-involvement in what feels like a total misfire. Come back Zardoz, all is forgiven.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:VHS Tape
Gleeson plays an intresting character very well, reminding me of Rod Stiger. Visually great, editing as smooth as Gleeson's cheeks, based on a true story and told by a genius, you can't go wrong.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
the general dvd
an interesting film about the godfather of crime in dublin and surrounding area
a must is get the book and read it there is a lot more to the general than what
meets the... Read more
Published 16 months ago by ken9106
Amazing
One of the best movies I have ever seen - just had to buy it and it arrived within 48 hours.
Head and shoulders above 'An Ordinary Decent Criminal' which is the Holywood... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Ciaran McFall
the general
This was a gift, my friend is Irish,he thought I may like some movies about Irish life ,people ,history,it is a very good movie ,with a feel of real life about it,I rate this movie... Read more
Published 23 months ago by sam hall
Fine, Little-Known Irish Gangster Flick
"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... Read more
Published on 5 May 2010 by Stephanie DePue
the general
I enjoyed this film it has a lot of good actors in it. I found it funny but also touching.
Published on 24 Oct 2009 by J. Bullimore
Only b/w
Beautiful film by John Boorman, but on this CD there's only the b/w-version made for the cinemas. The coloured TV-version is not included in this Warner Bros.-release.
Published on 19 July 2009 by suzukawa
A clear-eyed portrait of a very complex character
In a world which valued creative artists, someone would give John Boorman a couple of million quid every year and let him get on with making the movies which interested him. Read more
Published on 30 Mar 2009 by Peter Scott-presland
Excellent service
Great service. I got my DVD in 3 days and it is perfect quality. I will definetly use this supplier again 5*.
Published on 22 Mar 2009 by Anthony
Disappointing
I was disappointed by The General, though the acting is first class, with the exception of Jon Voight who is over the top in his portrayal of a policeman as a cross between a... Read more
Published on 9 Feb 2009 by Humpty Dumpty
Tha General
A great film based on a true story about cahills's life of crime. Im not sure why the director filmed in B/W? mood i think, you can make up your own mind on that one. Read more
Published on 15 Nov 2007 by Mr. D. Fitzpatrick
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