If there's anything worse than a film that's just plain awful, it's one that should be good but doesn't turn out that way.

And unfortunately, despite the fact that it features a very talented cast and somewhat timely subject matter, "The General's Daughter" definitely falls into the latter category.

Of course, it doesn't help that the filmmaker is a former television advertisement director (Simon West, who also directed "Con Air"), whose stylish flourishes only call more attention to the gaping plot holes and logical inconsistencies, as well as some mighty odd characterizations.

In fact, things start going wrong almost immediately with this exploitative suspense-thriller, beginning with a needlessly long prologue that slows the proceedings to a snail's pace and which ensures that any further story telling will be rushed.

Based on Nelson DeMille's best-selling novel, the film stars John Travolta as Paul Brenner, a U.S. Army warrant officer drawn into a murder investigation involving his longtime hero, Gen. Joe Campbell (James Cromwell), a retiring war hero and possible vice-presidential candidate.

Hoping to avoid undue publicity, the general asks Paul to look into the death of his daughter, Elizabeth (Leslie Stefanson), who was apparently tortured, raped and murdered on his army base. To top things off, Paul is partnered with his former flame, Sarah Sunhill (Madeleine Stowe), and is given only 36 hours to find the answers.

Worse still, the two have an imposing list of suspects. Was the murderer Elisabeth's mentor (James Woods), who was appar ently in love with her? Was it Paul's longtime friend (Timothy Hutton). Or was it the general's right-hand man (Clarence Williams III), who seems to be impeding the investigation?

Frankly, by the time the film gets around to explaining its many conspiracies and other contrivances, many audiences will have already given up caring.

That's not just the fault of the filmmakers, though. Most of the performances are irritatingly one-note — including Travolta, who never really seems to get into his character, and Stowe, who's too bland to be an adequate foil for him.

"The General's Daughter" is rated R for violent beatings and gunplay, a disturbing scene depicting rape, scattered profanities, full female and some male nudity, kinky sexual activities, gore, a scene of torture, use of crude sexual slang and gestures, as well as one racial epithet.