The General
Short description
The General tells the story of Martin Cahill, a Dublin criminal known as "The General" who built a career out of audacious robberies while eluding authorities for years. Cahill grew up in poverty, spent time in reform school and rejected the authorities who mistreated him. As an adult he led a close-knit gang, funded partly by state benefits, and became a local figure whose daring and generosity made him popular in his community. His luck changed after a museum art theft drew the attention of the police, the tax authorities, the IRA and the UVF, as well as members of his own crew. The film is based on real events.
John Boorman directed, wrote and produced the film, which sits between Hope and Glory (1987) and The Tailor of Panama (2001) in his directing career. Brendan Gleeson plays Cahill, with Adrian Dunbar, Sean McGinley, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Angeline Ball and Jon Voight among the cast.
Released in 1998 and running 124 minutes, the film is a British-Irish crime drama. It took in about 1 million USD worldwide, a modest return. On IMDb it holds a 6.7 rating, while the critics' rating stands at 7.3 from 49 reviews, so reviewers rated it somewhat more favourably than audiences.
What's left behind the scenes
- The film portrays Martin Cahill as a good-natured criminal, although in reality he was quite different, often shooting or torturing those who dared to cross him. The middle and upper classes feared him, while only the lower classes adored him.
- The home of screenwriter and director John Burman was once actually robbed by Martin Cahill (1949-1994), nicknamed The General. Among other things, he stole a gold plaque hanging on the wall, and Burman later included this detail in the film.
- In real life, Martin Cahill often wore clothes with a Mickey Mouse emblem, and sometimes wore shirts like Batman's.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
