The General Movie Review

It was a critical darling but I can't figure out why. Based on a true story, Gleeson plays the lovable oaf of an Irish folk hero and two-bit gangster Martin Cahill. The bulk of the film involves a couple of "daring" robberies Cahill and his working-class gang pulled off and the heat the police, the IRA, and the UVF bring down on him. Cahill as a character is a bizzare one, notably due to the two women he keeps and an eccentric personality, to say the least. But the film is flat, partially owing to its well over 2-hour running time but mainly due to the ultra-thick Irish accents, poor sound quality, and the fact the Gleeson spends most of the movie with his hand covering his face. Large chunks of The General are completely incomprehensible. And I'm not about to watch it again.