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You just can't shake the `been there, done that' feeling while sitting through director Simon West's ConAir follow-up. It plays like a second-rate version of Rob Reiner's multiple Oscar nominee A Few Good Men, driving home the tired cliché that there are three ways to do things – the right way, the wrong way and the Army way. File this one under Choice No. 2.
Based on the popular Nelson DeMille novel, Daughter takes place at Fort MacCallum in Georgia. Warrant Officers Paul Brenner (John Travolta, A Civil Action) and Sara Sunhill (Madeleine Stowe, Playing by Heart) are assigned to investigate the murder of – you guessed it – the General's daughter, Captain Elizabeth Campbell (Leslie Stefanson, Flubber). Her naked body was found strangled, tied down and spread-eagle on the base during evening maneuvers.
The General is "Fighting' Joe Campbell (James Cromwell, Babe), a retiring leader with major political ambitions. He needs to have the murder case sewn up in 36 hours, before the Feds come in and leak the story to the media, spoiling his shot to run on the next Republican Presidential ticket. Campbell actually utters the words `just find the son of a bitch' to Brenner. And he gets to rhetorically ask Brenner the tried-and-true question of whether he is a soldier or a policeman.
Brenner and Sunhill's investigation leads them to a secret room in the basement of the deceased Campbell's home, learning that she was quite the sexual deviant in her spare time. Confirmation of Campbell's extra-curricular activities arrives via Colonels Kent (Timothy Hutton, Playing God) and Moore (James Woods, Another Day in Paradise). The latter, Campbell's boss and mentor, is initially accused and arrested by Brenner, but later freed in a fatal mistake.
Daughter is kept alive only by Travolta's electric performance and occasionally saucy one-liners. The shallow adaptation by debut screenwriter Christopher Bertolini is a dud, despite being `punched up' by veteran scribe William Goldman (Absolute Power). Sadly, Goldman is probably best know these days as the guy who annually writes the scathing reviews of each Oscar-nominated film in Premiere magazine. Goldman completely annihilated Saving Private Ryan this year, but then turns around and gives us crap like this. Thanks a lot, pal. (1:58 - R for graphic images relating to sexual violence including a strong rape scene, some perverse sexuality, nudity and language)
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