The General's Daughter

No doubt about it, to divulge the plot would spoil the experience -- you'll be shocked to discover, and maybe even surprised to learn, just how lame the damn thing really is.

In terms of tone, the film is all over the map.

This salacious whodunit requires very little action, but an endless parade of dialogue scenes in which assorted suspects tell the investigating duo what happened, cueing thunderous flashbacks.

A lurid mess, a Southern gumbo simmering in Gothic cliche.

Travolta wins hands down with his accent in a pleasingly intense performance that helps propel the story along.

It barely rates a sideways glance, let alone a proper salute.

Director Simon West (Con Air) does a decent job transferring the story from the page to the big screen.

The General's Daughter's attempt to present an expose of sexism in the military is clumsy at best and as subtle as a chainsaw.