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The General (1998)
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Brendan Gleeson gives a towering performance here as Martin Cahill, the man dubbed “Dublin's favourite gangster” and known by Ireland's criminal fraternity as “the General”. Director John Boorman's biopic looks back at Cahill's childhood and the events that led up to his murder in 1994, and shows him to be a ruthless criminal — nailing an alleged traitor's hands to a snooker table, for example — who, nevertheless, courted popular acclaim. Living on a grim Dublin estate with his beloved wife (Maria Doyle Kennedy) and her equally beloved sister (Angeline Ball) — with whom he had an affair — Cahill managed to keep one step ahead of police inspector Ned Kenny (Jon Voight) while raiding post offices and stealing priceless paintings. His downfall was to sell his art haul to the Ulster Volunteer Force, thus incurring the wrath of the Provos. Boorman's film is a brilliant example of storytelling and his excellent cast rises to the occasion, with Gleeson on career-best form as the fascinating yet flawed folk hero. TH
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| Contains swearing, violence. |
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Tell us what you think
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Running time
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118mins
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Country of origin
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Ire / UK
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Genre
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Biographical Drama
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Original language
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English
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Screenplay
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John Boorman, from the non-fiction book The General: Godfather of Crime by Paul Williams
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| awards information |
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Award |
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Nominee/Winner |
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| Cannes International Film Festival 1998 |
Director |
John Boorman |
Winner |
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Film certification logos reproduced by kind permission of BBFC |
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