General (The)
- Director: John Boorman
- Writer: John Boorman; Paul Williams
- Producer: John Boorman; Kieran Corrigan
CGiii Comment
A difficult film - a faultless production in the whole.
But, the subject...Cahill, a grotesque, a grotesque without dignity.
It starts off with Cahill's murder and then tells, without frills, his story.
Boorman does NOT glorify Cahill - but, the making of the film does.
It is, unfortunately, true to the idiom: the devil has the best tales.
Cahill was a sadist, a conscienceless man.
Boorman shows his audience only snippets - he lets the audience decide for themselves - due to the flaws of human design some (the petty minded) will think Cahill a hero - he was not.
This is expert film-making, with excusable inaccuracies - all in the name of film-making.
Trailer...
The(ir) Blurb...
The real-life story of Dublin folk hero and criminal Martin Cahill, who pulled off two daring robberies in Ireland with his team, but attracted unwanted attention from the police, the IRA, the UVF and members of his own team.
Cast & Characters
Brendan Gleeson as Martin Cahill;
Adrian Dunbar as Noel Curley;
Sean McGinley as Gary;
Maria Doyle Kennedy as Frances;
Angeline Ball as Tina;
Jon Voight as Inspector Ned Kenny;
Eanna MacLiam as Jimmy;
Tom Murphy as Willie Byrne;
Paul Hickey as Anthony;
Tommy O'Neill as Paddy;
John O'Toole as Shea; Ciaran
Fitzgerald as Tommy;
Ned Dennehy as Gay;
Vinny Murphy as Harry;
Roxanna Williams as Orla