Nelson Richard DeMille was born in and, after serving in the military and graduating from Hofstra University on Long Island, NY (side note: also my alma mater), he had a successful career as a novelist. He wrote over 30 books from to before passing away from esophageal cancer in . DeMille was known for writing action adventures and suspense novels including Plum Island, The Gatehouse, and The General's Daughter. In , the latter book was made into a feature film starring John Travolta (Pulp Fiction) and Madeline Stowe (The Last of the Mohicans). This month, Kino Lober will be releasing the film in 4K.
Chief Warrant Officer Paul Brenner (Travolta) of the United States Army Criminal Investigation Division Command is helped while changing a flat tire by Captain Elisabeth Campbell (Leslie Stefanson; Unbreakable) at Fort MacCallum. The next evening, Captain Campbell is found dead and Brenner is told to investigate. Since Campbell was discovered naked and tied up, Brenner teams up with rape specialist Warrant Officer, Sara Dunhill (Stowe). Together they discover that Campbell was very promiscuous, sleeping with numerous men at Fort MacCallum, and that she was raped by several fellow cadets while at West Point - two facts that indirectly led to her demise.
Director Simon West (Con Air) does a decent job transferring the story from the page to the big screen. However, the pacing is slow at times and a few of his camera angles don't seem to work very well. He does have a great cast to work with, including Travolta, Stowe, and Stefanson. Joining them are actors Timothy Hutton (Ordinary People), James Cromwell (L.A. Confidential), and James Woods (The Virgin Suicides). West manages to give each of them a moment to shine even though they are auxiliary cast members.
Kino Lober always does a terrific job with the video and audio transfers, and this film is just another fine example of that. The Dolby Vision Master, which was made from a 4K scan of the 35mm original camera negative, is a wonderful representation of the theatrical release. The color grading is excellent and the movie doesn't show any signs of scratches or specs of dirt.
Interestingly, the audio was only upgraded to DST-HD master audio 5.1 instead of Atmos. Having said that, the surround soundtracks are well done, with ambient noise filling the space well. The dialogue is neither too loud nor too soft, and it can be heard mostly from the front speakers. The soundtrack is muted and subtle for the most part but not ignored or forgotten.
All of the extras included in this combo pack are legacy ones that have been ported over from previous home entertainment releases. The extras include Audio Commentary by Director Simon West (found on both the 4K and the Blu-ray discs), The General's Daughter - Behind the Secrets: Featurette, 4 Deleted Scenes - Including Alternate Ending, Theatrical Trailer, and Theatrical Teaser.
The thing about a Nelson DeMille novel is that it has so much detail that it is difficult to condense it down to a two-hour movie, and unfortunately, The General's Daughter, even with some storyline changes, suffers because of it. The pace crawls on occasion, and a disturbingly graphic rape scene might be too much for some. However, a solid cast makes the film watchable, and the Kino Lober remastered 4K release is an excellent reproduction of the original. Since it is also the only Nelson DeMille book that was made into a feature film, it is also a unique release, making it a worthy purchase for that reason only.
Grade: C+
