The General
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
John Boorman
Roxanna Williams
Paul Hickey
Des O'malley
Stephen Brennan
Neili Conroy
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Based on the story of Martin Cahill, a notorious Dublin gangster who was the mastermind behind a series of daring robberies that stunned Ireland in the 1980s. In a twenty-year career marked by obsessive secrecy, brutality and meticulous planning, Martin Cahill stole over 60 million dollars. Despite being the country's most wanted man, he brazenly eluded capture, thumbing his nose at both the police and the IRA, whom he despised--along with the Church and the State--as institutional authority figures. He lived in a menage a trois with his wife and her sister, siring several children with both. While images of Cahill regularly appeared in the press, they were always obscured, typically by Cahill's hand placed in front of his face. Although Cahill was a legend in Ireland during his lifetime, his true identity remained as an enigma.
Director
John Boorman
Cast
Roxanna Williams
Paul Hickey
Des O'malley
Stephen Brennan
Neili Conroy
Brendan Coyle
Aoife Moriarty
Ann Doyle
Sean Mcginley
Tommy O'neill
Gavin Kelty
Pat Kinevane
Eanna Macliam
Eamonn Owens
Don Wycherley
Pat Laffan
John O'toole
Owen O'neill
Vinnie Murphy
Darragh Kelly
Lynn Cahill
Jason Byrne
Ciaran Fitzgerald
Barry Mcgovern
Brendan Gleeson
Angeline Ball
Maria Doyle Kennedy
Ned Dennehy
Frank Melia
Jim Sheridan
Jon Voight
Ronan Wilmot
Adrian Dunbar
Tom Murphy
Pat Leavy
Niamh Linehan
Maebh Gorby
David Wilmot
Kevin Flood
Colleen O'neill
David Carey
Peter Hugo Daly
Crew
Kevan Barker
Paul E Barnes
John Boorman
John Boorman
Richie Buckley
Richie Buckley
Orla Carroll
Stephen Carroll
Kieran Corrigan
Con Cremins
Margaret Crosse
Noel Cullen
Betsy Davis
Ron Davis
Brendan Deasy
Seamus Deasy
Seamus Deasy
Shane Deasy
Kieran Dempsey
Chloe Emerson
Paul Hedges
Shirley Henderson
Jo Homewood
Jina Jay
Lynn Johnston
Conor Mcalistair
Paddy Mccarney
Carol Moorhead
Poll Moussoulides
John W Murphy
Irene O'brien
Susan O'connor Cave
Maire O'sullivan
Maeve Paterson
Laerke Sigfred Petersen
Philip J Pettiette
P J Pettite
Eddie Quinn
Patrick Redmond
Jill Andrea Reid
Bob Robinson
Rachel C Smith
Sonya Supple
Douglas E Turner
Derek Wallace
Mickey Walsh
Simon Walsh
Dave Wheelan
Fiona Whelan
Paul Williams
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Miscellaneous Notes
Nominated for the 1998 award for Best Director (John Boorman) from the Chicago Film Critics Association.
Winner of Jury Prizes for Best Film and Best Director (Boorman) at the 1998 Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival.
Winner of the Best Director Award at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival.
Winner of the Best Film Award at the 2000 Irish Film and Television Awards.
Winner of two 1998 award, including Best Director and Best Actor (Brendan Gleeson) from Boston Society of Film Critics.
Released in United States 1998
Released in United States December 8, 1998
Released in United States May 1998
Released in United States October 1998
Released in United States on Video July 20, 1999
Released in United States September 1998
Released in United States Winter December 18, 1998
Shown at Aspen Filmfest in Aspen, Colorado September 23-27, 1998.
Shown at Boston Film Festival September 10-20, 1998.
Shown at Cannes Film Festival (in competition) May 13-24, 1998.
Shown at Chicago International Film Festival October 8-18, 1998.
Shown at Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival October 28 - November 15, 1998.
Shown at New York Film Festival September 25 - October 11, 1998.
Shown at Toronto International Film Festival (Masters) September 10-19, 1998.
Began shooting August 10, 1997.
Completed shooting October 22, 1997.
Film was shot in black and white on color stock.
Cinemascope
Released in United States 1998 (Shown at Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival October 28 - November 15, 1998.)
Released in United States 1998 (Shown at New York Film Festival September 25 - October 11, 1998.)
Released in United States May 1998 (Shown at Cannes Film Festival (in competition) May 13-24, 1998.)
Released in United States on Video July 20, 1999
Released in United States September 1998 (Shown at Aspen Filmfest in Aspen, Colorado September 23-27, 1998.)
Released in United States September 1998 (Shown at Boston Film Festival September 10-20, 1998.)
Released in United States September 1998 (Shown at Toronto International Film Festival (Masters) September 10-19, 1998.)
Released in United States October 1998 (Shown at Chicago International Film Festival October 8-18, 1998.)
Released in United States December 8, 1998 (Shown in New York City (DGA Theater) as part of series "IFP's/Director's Take" December 8, 1998.)
Released in United States Winter December 18, 1998
