The General

"The extraordinary true story of the rise and fall of the gangster, Martin Cahill."

1998 2h 4m EN

👍

6.7

SOLID

★6.7TMDB · 139

CrimeDrama

Synopsis

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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 I.R.A., the U.V.F., and members of his own team.

“The extraordinary true story of the rise and fall of the gangster, Martin Cahill.”

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Cast

Brendan Gleeson
Martin Cahill
Adrian Dunbar
Noel Curley
Sean McGinley
Gary
Maria Doyle Kennedy
Frances
Angeline Ball
Tina
Jon Voight
Inspector Ned Kenny
Eanna MacLiam
Jimmy
Tom Murphy
Willie Byrne

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John Boorman
Writers: John Boorman
Languages: English
Countries: Ireland, United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

28 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

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International production across 2 countries: Ireland, United Kingdom.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by John Boorman, shot by Seamus Deasy. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Richie Buckley. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Ron Davis shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Brendan Gleeson and Adrian Dunbar and Sean McGinley carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The extraordinary true story of the rise and fall of the gangster, Martin Cahill.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0120706 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Boorman directs. Seamus Deasy behind the camera. Richie Buckley scores. Ron Davis cuts. Produced in Ireland, United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

128 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2International production across 2 countries: Ireland, United Kingdom.
3Directed by John Boorman, shot by Seamus Deasy. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Richie Buckley. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Ron Davis shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Brendan Gleeson and Adrian Dunbar and Sean McGinley carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "The extraordinary true story of the rise and fall of the gangster, Martin Cahill.".
8IMDB entry: tt0120706 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.