The General (1998)

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Movie
German title The general
Original title The General
Country of production Great Britain , Ireland
original language English
Publishing year 1998
length 124 minutes
Rod
Director John Boorman
script John Boorman
production John Boorman
music Richie Buckley
camera Seamus Deasy
cut Ron Davis
occupation

The general is a feature film by director John Boorman from the year 1998 with the title The General . The British-Irish co-production is also known in Germany under the title Der Meisterdieb von Dublin . Boorman wrote the script based on the book The General. Godfather of Crime by Paul Williams .

action

The central character of the film is Martin Cahill , an Irish gangster who was nicknamed "The General" because of his comparatively ascetic lifestyle - no alcohol, no drugs, no gambling - and the detailed planning of his crimes.

From a young age he has been walking a criminal path where he and a group of thugs steal meat and cheese from Dublin slums. Armed robberies followed in the 1970s. The film also picks up on the episode towards the end of the decade when Cahill was serving a multi-year suspended sentence and a housing association plans to demolish the buildings in Cahill's neighborhood. Cahill's way through the judicial instances is not crowned with success, which is why the company also implements the planned plan - while Cahill opposes that he lives in a trailer on the rubble property. However, after a visit from the Lord Mayor of Dublin, he moves to a better neighborhood.

In the early 1980s, Cahill gave the order to place a bomb under the car of forensic scientist James O'Donovan , as his methods could secure evidence against Cahill in the future. This is followed by a robbery worth millions at a jeweler. In the meantime, Cahill and his gang have also stolen paintings that he sells to the Ulster Volunteer Force . While in reality there is no hard evidence as to who actually shot him, the film follows the theory that the IRA ordered the killing.

Trivia

Although it was shot in color, Boorman decided to show the film in the cinemas in a heavily desaturated , almost black and white version, on the one hand not to romanticize violence and poverty and on the other hand to draw the audience's attention to the plot and the actors to steer.

The film is based on the true story of gangster genius Martin Cahill , who became the No. 1 public enemy of Ireland from the mid-1970s until he was assassinated by the IRA in 1994 . The biographical film shows the criminal career of a man who was a loving family man, a shrewd crook and an extremely brutal criminal at the same time.

Martin Cahill is played by Irish actor Brendan Gleeson , whom Boorman chose because of his resemblance to Cahill. Jon Voight stepped in shortly before filming began as the actor for the character of Inspector Ned Kenny.

Reviews

  • Rüdiger Suchsland on “artechock film”: “ [... The General is] like any good gangster film, primarily a social study. […] Cahill is charming and he has style. But he is also a brutally authoritarian power man. Boorman doesn't succumb to the stereotypes of many gangster films. [...] Boorman films all of this in seductive, elegant black and white. With him, pictures, not stupid little dialogues, explain the story. " 
  • Lexicon of the international film : “ The portrait of a charismatic leader, staged in fascinating black and white pictures, who liked the role of the working class hero, but ultimately failed because of his own hubris. An artistically and dramatically convincing film that stylizes its protagonist as the hero of an ancient tragedy and whose staging alternates between documentarism and mythical exaggeration. " 

Awards

The film won several awards particularly for Boorman directed Gleeson's work and acting performance, and was for the Golden Palm of the International Film Festival of Cannes 1998 nominated. John Boorman received the directing award in Cannes .

literature

  • Paul Williams: The General. Godfather of Crime. O'Brien Press, Dublin 1995, ISBN 0-86278-433-6 , p. 221.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Online resource , accessed May 23, 2007
  2. ↑ The General in the Lexicon of International FilmsTemplate: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used