First of all,he didn't at all act militarily to me
I thought the same thing at first.
However, it's likely that the character had an unorthodox military career, perhaps as a nuclear scientist who became a commissioned officer in the Army and was mostly involved in the Army's nuclear research program from then on. So perhaps it's fitting that in spite of his rank he seemed more like a stereotypical scientist than a stereotypical Army General.

There was no sense of the military about his portrayal. He was horrible in the role and was a definite miscast.

I think Melanie Griffith was miscast; way too young for the part. Really, they want us to think a gorgeous young blonde like her would marry a man who looks like the Blair Witch at age 75? Someone a little closer to Nolte's age would've been more believable. MG did a good job, she was just not old enough.

Malkovich was trying to be a cross between General Groves and J. Robert Oppenheimer. He was neither.
Bruce Dern looked like he was trying to be Harry Truman, and a not-very-convincing one at that.

Catdubh You say your great-uncle was - a general? In his early twenties? In WWII? Aaaaah, no - I'm just not buying it. In the Civil War, sure; WWII, no. If you'll name him, I'd like to look him up on google or Wikipedia; surely a WWII general in his early twenties would be there. He'd have to have been a renowned public figure, so privacy shouldn't be an issue. If your claim is provable, I'll edit this post and eat my words right here, for all the world to see. Still, I wish him well, whatever his rank and age at the time.
former Army officer

She did a 10x better job than Kim Basinger in LA Confidential, who basically stood around looking pretty.
Jennifer Connelly had about two lines in the script, and managed to outdo old Kim.
Anyway, they couldn't have gone with any old pornstar, because certain actors and actresses have something called star presence, and Ms. Connelly has that in spades in this film.
I said I never had much use for one.never said I didn't know how to use it.

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Gee, I'm sorry, I thought this was a BOARD for FILM DISCUSSION.
I said I never had much use for one.never said I didn't know how to use it.

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So they could have put some butterface in her role then, but how would that make sense to the story?
Obviously a woman like her would have to have been a fairly decent knock-out bombshell to attract the attention of both a high-ranking general and a married member of the hat-squad.
But I get what you're saying, Jennifer Connelly put in a bad performance. In which case you are CLUELESS, just look at that primal look in her eyes when she and Nolte first meet, there's a certain talent there that not just any yahoo could pull off.
She appears in all of, what, two brief scenes, and for her to be able to shadow those snippets of her character and transpose that over the rest of the film, she would have had to have been a good actress.
I said I never had much use for one.never said I didn't know how to use it.

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and Jennifer Connelly was only there for eye candy.
I'm pretty sure her character was there for a lot more reasons than that. Were you even paying attention?
And to the OP, I disagree, Malkovich's monologue about atoms when he and Nolte's character first meet is great!
And Malkovich was already 43 during the production of this film.
I said I never had much use for one.never said I didn't know how to use it.

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How many Italian guys from Jersey do you know who are named Ellery Coolidge?
You make a good point but in reply, Ellery Coolidge was a name, and not definitive of the character. While Chazz is a well known East Coast, Italian American actor, the fact that I did not associate the character Ellery Coolidge, with any ethnicity, is more indicative of Chazz's versatile acting ability, IMHO.
Perhaps other viewers, such as you, immediately associated Chazz as miscast as
Ellery because he is a well known Italian American actor but I did not make that association.
Jack's not dead! Jack would never die without telling me, first!

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Raelian_Star
I have to respectfully disagree with you, here. The four actors who made up the "Hat Squad" were marvelous. They were in sync, and as odd and bumbling as they appeared to interact with one another, were perfect in depicting the quad, as somewhat human, and flawed rather than the flat image of cops sublimely administering abusive consequences to their detainees.
Nick Nolte, is just an angry guy, with unresolved personal issues, and for some reason, these attributes always seem to find their way into the characters he plays. Max was definitely an angry guy, with an inner void.
Chazz was fantastic, as Coolidge who cathartically struggles with his own intellectual limits, sharing every detail of his quest to conquer his anger issues by carefully
regurgitating his weekly sessions with his Psychiatrist.
Chris Penn as Relyea, delivered a great performance as a sounding board and stable friend to Max. Relyea seems to be a backdrop constant, providing a sound form to the Quad.
Michael Madsen was a perfect complete, as a stereotype "bruiser" cop, promoted Detective, as he had the perfect digs, and looks to qualify.
Jennifer Connelly never struck me as seductive or ridiculously beautiful until I saw her in the role of Alison Pond. Alison understood men, and was the type of girl a guy could have a conversation with, while being beautiful, and alluring, as well. She was the girl next door, and a bit of a fantasy, all wrapped up into one gal. She wasn't an obvious character for a fantasy fling, as she wasn't ridiculously beautiful (but beautiful), and that is what made her perfect in her role.
Treat Williams played a perfect Colonel who obnoxiously delivers the resounding resistance that General Timms hides behind. Taking matters into his own hands, his repulsive actions deserve the viewer's loathsome contempt. His ending was so appropriate.
Andrew McCarthy was perfect, and completely convincing as Jimmy Fields.
Melanie Griffith delivers a less than admirable performance, as Katherine Hoover, Max Hoover's wife. Katherine needs the viewer's sympathy and Melanie gives the viewer little or no reason to empathize with Katherine.
Jack's not dead! Jack would never die without telling me, first!

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Secondly,a general will be at least late 40's.
Not necessarily. My great Uncle was a General in WWII, and in his early 20s. He will be 100 in May, 2011.
I agree with you though, about Malkovich being miscast; as much as I like Malkovich he was simply wrong for this role.
What, just for once in your life can't you be serious?

John Malkovich's character is uneven, artificial and uncomfortable to watch. Not the character, but the performance. His rambling, monotone and redundant performance also ruined "Klimt" (2006).
"Forget it Jake, it's Chinatown!"

I completely agree For the most part I like John Malkovich, but not in this role. He has an effeminate quality to his delivery that just does not work here.
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Malkovich can't be miscast. He is too excellent. He can do justice to any role and certainly did to this one.

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No, a scientist would not have been given a high military rank automatically by joining the A-bomb program. A high civilian position, maybe; but a high military rank, no. In the Manhattan Project, Robert Oppenheimer was strictly a civilian; Leslie Groves, then a major general, had already been a major general. (He'd built the Pentagon.)

Puketai has explained it perfectly. You guys don't know anything about the primitive military.