Out of all of the films that I have ***ever*** seen,"Basic" is one with some of the strongest potential. The plot(a DEA agent investigates the dissapearance of one of his former military colleagues and learns two seperate stories about what happened,creating trouble)is just as intelligent as it is brilliant. Add that together with suspenseful scenes,twists,turns,and even dialogue,alongside a top-notch cast(John Travolta,Samuel L. Jackson,Connie Nielsen,Tim Daly,Giovanni Ribisi,Brian Van Holt,Taye Diggs,and Harry Connick,Jr.,with "Die Hard" and "The Hunt For Red October" director John McTiernan being the man behind the camera),and You've got quite a lot to make something very proficient.

Yet,despite all of the strong and admirable qualities of "Basic",there is something about it that fails. As opposed to "going by the book","Basic" takes crucial parts of its story and takes the road less traveled and expected. Sure--it is something that can work great and make a film/television show/television show episode richly executed,if not better than the regular road. But,for "Basic",it completely fails. It is a method that turns "Basic" from being intelligent to being dumb--not making any sense in the end and leaving a bad aftertaste. Sure--it only applies for a few scenes. But--it applies for some of the most crucial scenes of "Basic". Once it is finished,there is no turning back. It is as dominant to "Basic" as anything in a real military base would be.

Overall,a film where the gamble didn't pay off. Worth to see for the unique and creative qualities--but be prepared for a large dissapointment in the end.

2 1/2 stars

A DEA agent investigates the disappearance of a legendary Army ranger drill sergeant and several of his cadets during a training exercise gone severely awry.

Roger Ebert wrote an interesting review of this movie, calling it a "Jerk-around-movie". It's full of twists and turns but in the end, it doesn't make any sense. perhaps if one would watch it over and over again, one could find the logic in it, but "Basic" isn't worth re-watching. In fact, it's not even worth watching even once. The script is dreadful, trying desperate to be clever, but succeeding only to bore the viewer. Samuel L. Jackson's and Giovanni Ribisi's performances feel like parodies of their performances in better movies.

"Basic" may just be one of the worst big budget movies to come out of Hollyood in recent years and there is no need to waste time or money to see it.

I need to provide some backstory on my viewing experience of John McTiernan's 2003 military thriller "Basic". Is there such a thing as a "military thriller"? Ah, never mind. Anyway, I rented a copy of "Basic" and let it sit on the DVD player for a few days before I got around to watching it. Big mistake. Between the time when I picked up the disc and when I popped it in the player, I came down with a serious cold. I'm talking a SERIOUS cold. The type of cold that makes you wish they sold Kleenex by the metric ton. The sort of cold where you breathe through your mouth because your nasal passages feel like someone packed them full of cement with a cannon ramrod. I did the only sane thing a person could do: I loaded up with cold medication. Cough syrup, aspirin, anti-histamines, cough drops, nasal spray--you name it, I was taking it by the handfuls. The resulting effect of my medicinal intake, I must say, can only be described as kaleidoscopic. I felt like my head had turned into a balloon filled with laughing gas. It was in this state of mind that I viewed "Basic".

That was a big mistake, as we'll see shortly. "Basic" begins by showing us a routine military training mission in the jungles of Panama. Amidst a raging hurricane, Sergeant Nathan West (Samuel L. Jackson) runs his team of Army Rangers ragged. He's a tough guy, as tough as a steel pipe, and all of the members of his squad despise him. Then a tragedy unfolds out in the jungle, a tragedy that claims the life of West and several other members of the squad. Only two survive, in fact. In order to figure out what happened, the Army brings in crack investigator Tom Hardy (John Travolta) to solve the mystery. Tom's an ex-Ranger and a DEA agent currently under investigation for unethical behavior. The base's commander and Hardy's pal Styles (Tim Daly) teams Tom up with a southern belle, Lieutenant Osborne (Connie Nielsen), and the two start interrogating the first survivor, Dunbar (Brian Van Holt). Tom's a whiz at questioning suspects, and he gets Dunbar's story--which we see unfold in flashback--in quick order. It's a weird tale about murder and mayhem out in the jungle. Of course, several details don't really match up with the facts, so Hardy and Osborne must move on to the next survivor.

Kendall (Giovanni Ribisi) lies in a hospital bed recovering from his injuries when our two heroes show up to start the questioning. His story, which we also see in flashback, differs from Dunbar's tale of woe in significant ways. As Hardy and Osborne begin to examine the threads winding their way through the two stories, they uncover more than they bargained for. They keep going back and forth between the two, Dunbar and Kendall, trying to pry more information out of them after confronting each one with their inconsistencies. Most alarmingly, Kendall suddenly dies in his hospital bed after bleeding out of every orifice in his head. Is this an attempt by someone or several someones to get him to shut up? Yes, yes it is. It can't be Dunbar because he's still locked up in another room on the base. Could it have something to do with one of the base physicians, Dr. Vilmer (Harry Connick, Jr.)? Maybe Colonel Styles knows more than he's letting on. He's Hardy's friend, but that doesn't mean he shares everything with him. Heck, what about Osborne? She seems like a straight arrow, but she couldn't get Dunbar to talk (which necessitated the arrival of Hardy). Maybe that was all an act to hide something.

I'm not going forward with more plot points because I don't want to spoil the film for you. Not that I could, mind you, since "Basic" ranks highly on my "Most Confusing and Convoluted Films Ever to Emerge from Hollywood" list. McTiernan and writer James Vanderbilt offer the viewer so many flashback scenarios, red herrings, and numerous plot twists that my head started hurting. Even more confusing was the tendency to tell further stories in the middle of flashbacks. Ouch! I just bailed on the story, blew my nose a couple of times, and tried to focus on things that made sense, like the performances. They're good. Travolta plays smart aleck pretty well, and Sam Jackson knows how to play an overbearing jerk. Connie Nielsen does an acceptable job, but that southern accent has to go, like, yesterday! It's nice to see Tim Daly in a major motion picture, and Giovanni Ribisi goes over the top as Kendall. The movie's atmosphere works well for such a murky murder mystery/conspiracy story, but the wind and crashing rain tend to drown out the dialogue. I was always fiddling with the volume control trying to understand what the characters were saying. I fiddled in vain.

I highly recommend you don't watch "Basic" while under the influence of cold medicine. A confusing film like this one becomes nearly unwatchable on Nyquil and anti-histamines. Having said that, I actually like it enough to give it four stars. I enjoy watching Italian murder mysteries called giallo, which often achieve heights of confusion more labyrinthine in execution than what "Basic" offered, so it's all to the good. The DVD version of the film offers us several extras, none of them very interesting. We get a boring commentary track with director McTiernan, an extended interview with writer Vanderbilt, and a lengthy lovefest with the actors. You've seen this last supplement a million times. It consists of interviews with the cast where everyone heaps praise on the film and on their fellow actors. Yadda, yadda, yadda. Whatever. If you're feeling adventurous, give "Basic" a shot. I hope you like it.

This movie should be shown to classrooms of aspiring screenwriters and directors as an example of how not to be sucked into the Hollywood junk machine. The screenwriter of this movie obviously had some ideas about a coherent story that he wanted to tell about moral relativity and corrupt military officials. This film's story structure is mostly influenced by the classic film Rashomon. Well, so what happened? How did this ungracious disaster of a movie make it to the big screen? The biggest culprits are easily the movie stars, John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson, using their bloated star egos to force the screenwriter to rework his material into something they ultimately found more suitable to their star personas. Disgusting! Travolta was supposed to be a bad guy and Jackson was supposed to bite the bullet, but no way would the two Hollywood jerks allow that!

SPOILER ALERT: Who in their right mind was surprised by the ending? I knew Sam Jackson was in on it from the get go and soon enough he would grace us with his presence. Lo and behold, his bald head emerges at the end of the movie wearing a white outfit like an angel of some sort. I hate this movie, it's an insult to the audience! John McTiernan, ( Predator, Die Hard ), the director of Basic should be ashamed of such a lackluster effort on his part. But what could he do when faced with the two morons who played the leads! A sad joke of a movie, avoid it unless you just love junk.

My husband, ex-military and combat veteran , doesn't watch war movies, but a friend recommended this movie and, when it arrived, my "MAN" agreed to watch it with me. Well, Honey, what do you think? HE SAID: "HOLLYWOOD TRULY IS A LAND OF IMAGINATION AND FANTASY." I SAID: "THAT WAS A GOOD WAR MOVIE." HE SAID: "THAT WAS NOT A WAR MOVIE, IT WAS A MOVIE ABOUT PERSONALITIES: THERE WAS NO WAR IN THAT MOVIE." Well, he's right, but, I LIKED THIS MOVIE, AND, I THINK, MOST OTHER PEOPLE WILL TO.

Definitely a very good movie, Basic, is a military mystery that brings to the screen the story of a U.S. Ranger training mission gone awry in Panama. Subsequently, an ex-Ranger is teamed up with the base investigator to try and shed light on the mysterious circumstances that led to the near annihilation of the entire squad.
The film combines drama, mystery, action and adventure making it one of the best of its kind.
John Travolta, Samuel Jackson, Connie Nielsen, Giovanni Ribisi, Brian Van Holt, and the rest of the cast have truly outdone themselves with their performances, which are outstanding to say the least! All the actors, without exceptions, give it their 100% and it really shows (the chemistry is AMAZING)!
The plot, the setting, the dialogues, the special effects, and the music are all wonderful!
In short, it is a movie definitely worth watching! Strongly recommended along with Black Hawk Down, A Few Good Men, Rules of Engagement, and Courage Under Fire. 4 1/2 Stars

Typically popcorn thriller. A little predictable, but nevertheless enjoyable with good performances from Jackson, typical Travolta overacting and Connie Nielsen is a little out of place playing an american captain with an exotic euro accent.

Good twists and turns, and fine editing. A nice Rashoshonan type tale where the same story is told from several point of views and the audience is challenged on which side is the real truth.

Sometimes I have a really difficult time distinguishing if I ask too much from media or if I should just go with the flow. Most of those moments come after viewing such movies as this, where when it comes down to the craft-level of the film, there's nothing technically wrong with it, but the fact that it's utterly lacking in any sort of "reason to be" or theme just makes me feel I wasted my time.

A troupe of rangers-in-training and a legendary sergeant are in the midst of a hurricane in the Panama Canal when something goes awry. We don't know what it is at first, but when a surveiling helicoptor notices one of the trainees shooting another, an investigation is started to find out what exactly is going amiss.

The movie itself is filled with people who have shown their ability to perform but don't necessarily guarantee a good performance. Samuel L. Jackson plays one of his typecast roles. John Travolta plays one of his typecast roles (Oh, and having them together in this movie doesn't make it a Pulp Fiction, I can tell you that). Even Connie Nielson, who I like a lot, does her role and doesn't add to it.

Now the point of the movie is something like the point of a Shyamalan movie: let's make a twist and see how good we are at surprising the audience. Now the thing about a Shyamalan movie is, even though his twists are getting rather ridiculous and even though they begin to feel a bit condescending, there's still a point to them. A Shyamalan film has a theme, about fate, about human nature, about death, etc. This film has twists because it wants to surprise. However, to an audience that is used to having twists as a rather generic method of plot development, that leaves a lot to be desired. Especially when such twists happen after a milieu of twists, so that by the time the movie ends you don't really care about any of the characters anymore because they've shedded so many identities that you're forced to believe they don't actually have one.

So we have an action film, by John McTiernan, who has already proven himself to be brilliant (c'mon, Die Hard...); we have performers who've already proven their worth; and we have a script that works out in its own way. Yet none of it really matters. And so even though it's an okay movie, it's still a waste of time.

--PolarisDiB

The movie is full of twists and turns, in fact just two minutes before the end there is another twist. This is the beauty of this film. While watching this movie, whenever you try to believe something, it turns out opposite and only to find later that it was not correct either. This one is definitely not the typical war movie. It's not the actions, but the script that keeps the audience riveted throughout the movie, and critics will have a hard time in pointing out for a moment that was boring in the entire run.

John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson were average. I mean their performance was as good as any of their other movies. However, the real credit in acting will go to Connie Nielsen. If you have liked the movie "A few Good Men", you will like this movie too. Highly recommended.

There are so many twists and turns in this plot that the viewer is bound to end up with the moviegoer's version of whiplash. Without the admirable performances of Samuel Jackson and John Travolta, the labyrinthine turns of plot here might turn what at first promises to be an interesting story to dust, but the Jackson/Travolta team (not that they are on screen together...) and the riveting and plummy-voiced Giovanni Ribisi save the film from the trash-heap. In the end, though, the viewer is bound to feel that the makers of the movie had the advantage and the audience-members are merely the pawns in their hands.

Also, except for one rather violent scene when the Connie Nielsen character draws a gun on Travolta (who says deadpan, "I guess that means 'no'"), the love interest in the movie basically goes nowhere. Too much of the female interest here comes simply from seeing women act as violent and macho as men can act -- not a very interesting portrayal of the ladies.

Director: John McTiernan
Cast: John Travolta, Connie Nielsen, Samuel L. Jackson, Timothy Daly, Giovanni Ribisi, Brian Van Holt, Taye Diggs, Dash Mihok, Christian de la Fuente, Roselyn Sanchez, Harry Connick Jr.
Running Time: 98 minutes
Rated R for violence and language.

John McTiernan's (the mastermind behind "Die Hard") "Basic" opens up in a rain-drenched Panama jungle at night on an Army training mission headed by Sergeant West (Samuel L. Jackson). Flash forward to the next day. An Army chopper picks up two men from the training mission, one injured and one very much alive. The injured man, Kendall (Giovanni Ribisi), is sent to a hospital, and the alive man, Dunbar (Brian Van Holt) is sent in for questioning by the very sexy and very Southern Osborne (Connie Nielsen). Dunbar refuses to speak to anyone except a Ranger. So in comes Ranger Tom Hardy (John Travolta) to piece together the events surrounding the death of Sgt. West and his team. Most of the film takes place at night, during a rainy hurricane, and adds to the nonexistent plot. What is so intriguing is that the plot isn't really there, but the writer tries to manifest one, and we feel as if we are staring at some nonexistant, material wad of words and flashbacks and images thrown together in a blender, the writer hoping for it to come out smelling of roses.

The writer of "Basic", James Vanderbilt (whose screen crudentials consist of "Darkness Falls"), has so many twists and turns that the film is impossible to keep up with. It becomes hard to seperate present from past and what's real from what's not. So many revelations happen that the audience will feel they are in the middle of the writer's mind, as he comes up with new ideas and tries to squeeze them in time after time after time. There is a limit to how many times you can use "surprise" revelation endings. Vanderbilt uses three of four in a row, piled on top of each other, time after time after time. Just as we think the plot twists are done, and we start to smile because we think we might finally understand the basis of the plot, something else happens, and we zoom in suspensefully on John Travolta's face as he, along with the audience, realizes something. The performances of Basic's cast are a mixed bag: Travolta is watchable as usual, and he brings a believable sense of self-assured cool to Hardy, but he is frustratingly unable to contain his hammy instincts. The quality of a Travolta performance appears to be inversely proportional to the volume of his voice. When he's quiet, he's very good; when he yells, he quickly becomes a cartoon. This movie has enough credibility problems; it doesn't need a cartoon hero.

If Travolta is mixed news, Connie Nielsen is plain bad. It's not so much that she can't seem to make heads or tails of the convoluted story - heck, no one can. But she seems less to be stymied than just exceptionally stupid. The scenes that are supposed to establish romantic tension between her and Travolta fall laughably flat. To top it off, she is saddled with some Hollywood nimrod's notion of a Southern accent, which blinks on and off like a turn signal. The smaller roles, though, fare much better. Van Holt as the prisoner does especially well, flavoring his defiance with feral intelligence. There is also nice work by Taye Diggs as the unit's misfit and Tim Daly (where has he been since "Wings" folded?) as the base commander. The most memorable, though (and you sort of knew this already) is Jackson. He has the lunatic drill instructor bit down pat, and delivers it with relish. His is the one character in Basic who is supposed to be larger than life, in part because he is seen in flashback, which means that we are seeing not the man himself, but other people's impressions of him. In his commando sweater and poncho thrown over one shoulder like a warlord's cape, he looks twenty feet tall and invincible. Still, one of Jackson's great talents is his ability to project nuance and smarts to even the most unsubtle characters. His Sgt. West is the shadow leaning over the whole incident, and the movie would have been smart to take more advantage of that. The real disappointment in the supporting cast is the normally talented Giovanni Ribisi as the wounded survivor, a hospital-ward weirdo who is supposed to seem mysterious but mostly comes off as jokey and annoying. Ribisi seems to have shoplifted his performance from Gary Oldman in "Hannibal", down to his marble-mouthed line deliveries.

Though "Basic" is shabbily conceived, it is at least presented well by John McTiernan, who manages to wring what tension may be had from the loopy script. The movie is lacking in the action set-pieces McTiernan usually employs, but he nails the atmosphere just right. The use of weather to convey emotion is certainly overdone, but it is still effective when done right, as it is here. The pounding, ever-present rain and the dim, shadow-tinged interior lighting gives the movie the feel of an approaching end, a kind of despairing resignation to horrible things. It's a shame that the drama can't keep up with its own visual metaphor. It has its merits, but strains your suspension of disbelief beyond the breaking point, and washes its credibility away like bloodstains in a rainstorm.

This movie was a lot better than I thought it would be. The ending was a big surprise! Just see it for yourself, and you'll see why. Not the Best military movie ever made, but definitely worth seeing. It's also a bit confusing, but I enjoyed it, so will you.

So the first thing you need to know about this movie is that it sucks. It really does. I'm not sure who their military consultant was, but if Samuel L. has Specialist pins on his collars, you don't call him Sargeant. Women aren't allowed in the Rangers (Nunez), not my rules ladies, Colonel Styles looks a little young to be a colonel (even for the Army), the Army doesn't issue tiger stripe BDU's (Mueller), the list goes on and on. This may not seem that important, but if you're gonna make a movie about the Army, you could at least get some very BASIC (soory, could't resist) things correct.


Yes, it's true that there are many twists and turns in this 'plot', but all that really means, at least in this case, is that they can multiply a weak and thin screenplay. Hey, if we tell the same story a couple different ways, it makes the story really interesting, right? Not so much. Oh, and that scene where "Specialist" West is standing on top of that shack with his pancho blowing like a villains cape? Wow, who decided that was a good idea? I don't want to ruin the ending for you, because there's no point in even seeing this movie, and anyone with enough brain cells to operate the remote will figure out the 'finale' long before it makes its belated arrival. By the way, how do you follow someone in an Army Humvee w/out them knowing? Seriously. Please spend these 90 or minutes talking with your kid's, reading a book, excercising, writing a review... I dunno, something worthy of your precious time. You've been warned.

By the way, Connie Nielsen looks hot w/ short red hair.

Je suis ressortie de la salle un peu partagée: bien ou pas bien?
Et la réponse est pas mal mais sans plus.
En tout cas, ce n'est certainement pas le meilleur film de travolta.
En gros, suspence et trahison.
Le problème avec ce film, c'est qu'on ne sais jamais même à la fin la vérité.
Enfin, je ne vous en dit pas plus.
A voir pour une petite soirée sans oublier de faire marcher ses neurones à fond.

Un bon film quand même.

this is one of those movies you look for to make you think and then leaves you with no answer. all of the plot holes and twists leave you trying to put the pieces together and then have to watch the ending again to understand some of it. but that's the best part. this is a great movie. highly recommended

I thought this was a good movie. Very entertaining. But it get's really confusing with all the plot twists and plot holes it has throughout the movie.

I thought Travolta's part was a little overdone. However, the movie has no dull moments and a great ending that completely surprised me. Something that you don't see too much these days.

Basic is a very suspenseful film full of unforeseeable plot-twists. But not the badly crafted type, these twists and turns are edible and well woven into the story.
There is no point giving a synopsis because the story 'isnt wuite what it seems" from the beginning.
Deriously, though, you should get this, sit in the dark and watch it. you will not take your eyes of eh screen for a minute
...

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. A real brain bender! My only complaint is the separately released soundtrack (or lack there of). The music added alot to this flick, but from all that I've found there was nothing released along with it. I can't even find the remake of "Black Betty", only the original. Anyone have any tips? Movie is definitely worth your time though! Rent, buy or borrow today. :)

Basic was one the smartest movies written by Hollywood since a while ago. The plot was intriguing and it kept me thinking through out the movie but unfortunatly I believe that the movie was not well commercialed and released at a time when people only went to the cinema to waste their money and did not really care for the story within so for some people Basic was too complicated to understand. I recommend this movie to anybody who likes intriguing stories and wants to be kept guessing until the end.

This is absolutely the worst military movie I have ever seen! Jackson's character is over the top and his "Rangers" are pathetic. The writers, producers and director were completely clueless from begining to end.

Look, if you want to make a political statement about women in the military then do it. But you better make sure that the rest of the flick has some sort of credibility! These guys are supposed to be Special Forces but then they are called "Rangers" too. Well, which is it? Rangers are NOT S.F. my dears. Some were also wearing non-combatant unit patches. To make matters worse these guys are wearing a RAINBOW of beret colors.

S.F./Ranger/Typist: "Ooh, I think I'll wear my maroon hat to fight today!"

And WHY are they wearing them in the JUNGLE! Is that a poncho liner that Jackson is wearing like some sort of cape?!! In the JUNGLE!? With a Sweater!!!? The Library of Freaking Congress could not hold a list that could detail all the blunders in this movie!

As a member of Special Forces I was truly insulted that the producers of this film didn't have enough respect for my job OR THEIRS to do even the teeniest weensiest bit of research that takes to make even a forgivably bad movie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love Tyler

Twist-wise this is a heckuvagreat movie. It's a steaming, down and dirty whodunnit-to-who under the guise of an army training exercise gone wrong. A Special Force team goes into the jungles of Panama, under the supervision of Samuel L. Jackson (West,) but they don't all come out. The onus of finding out what happened falls on Connie Nielsen (Osborne), but then Tim Daly (Styles) brings in John Travolta (Hardy) to take over the investigation.

It's not Travolta's best role, but he does a passable Hardy, the great inquisitor. Connie Nielsen steals most of the movie, even though her accent grates on the nerves sometimes, but otherwise she's got what it takes. Timothy Daly is good for most of the movie (until the end), and there just isn't enough Samuel L. Jackson to go around.

Poor Giovanni Ribisi - he must be really tired of being type-cast by now. He plays the same role, once again, for the umpteenth time.

My problem with the movie is that a lot of the scenes are shot out of focus and in the dark - so it's hard to figure out who's doing what to whom most of the time. (My copy didn't have sub-titles, and the close-captioning was pathetic, so that didn't help much)

Any attempt to summarize the plot would contain spoilers, so I won't. Spending a few hours on this 3.5 star movie, wouldn't be time wasted.

Amanda Richards, February 25, 2005

Director John McTiernan's "Basic" highlights the team of John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson working together for the first time since their blockbuster "Pulp Fiction." Initially it appears that they are polar opposites with Travolta playing a seemingly laid back, unconventional Drug Enforcement Agency agent and Jackson as a no nonsense, spit and polish disciplinarian Army Ranger sergeant.

Set in Panama, the film is all about appearances and reality as emotions shift back and forth as do opinions with the story being framed in a series of flashbacks representing various viewpoints. Jackson has supposedly been killed by one or more of his men after a rain-soaked war drill in the jungle. Travolta, who had served under Jackson as a Ranger, is called in to question the initial prime suspect in the sergeant's death.

Travolta immediately encounters resistance from provost marshal's office representative Connie Nielsen, who believes in following formal procedures, a technique anathema to the highly unconventional Travolta. At one point when she is shouting at the suspect in an attempt to break him down, Travolta infuriates Nielsen by telling him that he will not insult his intelligence by engaging in a typical "good cop-bad cop" dialogue.

The investigators soon learn that there is a drug smuggling operation occurring on the base. What makes matters even more ticklish is that the ringleader is none other than the officer in charge of the hospital, played by Harry Connick Jr., who also happens to be Nielsen's steady love interest. When attention shifts to another suspect it is learned that he is the gay son of a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "There goes don't ask, don't tell," Travolta quips after the suspect reveals his sexual preference.

The contrast between the loose and freewheeling Travolta and the military formality of Jackson and Nielsen gives the story a lot of its dramatic punch. Long before the surprise twist ending the audience is aware that the main story ploy relates to appearances and reality and to not believe what one hears before plenty of corroboration.

I love action movies with a twist. I enjoyed "The Recruit" because even though it twisted and turned it never kept me in the dark. You best be on your toes here or you will miss some important clues. I had trouble catching some of the clues the first time I watched it. Being a Travolta and Jackson fan I expected a great deal, and I got it. I follow detective series all the time and I usually know whose guilty long before the end. This one kept me guessing who was a killer and who wasn't. When a group of soldiers is dropped in a jungle on a training mission only two get back alive. Travolta is asked to investigate by the Colonel running the base where the men were being trained. The investigation leads to killings and drugs. Be prepared to be thrilled and stumped. If you haven't figured it out by the end they will paint a clearer picture of what the unit Section 8 really is doing. One thing that would have helped me during my first viewing of the movie was something to indicate that maybe those supposedly killed might not be. I think there should have been some kind of hint, but otherwise a great story. I added this to my collection because it definitely is one you will want to watch regularly. The quality of the DVD is excellent and it has commentary and other extras.

When I first saw Basic I was expecting a typical mindless action flick, instead I got an decent attempt at a sinister almost psychological thriller. There are plenty of twists and turns, some are predictable but some are genuinely suprising.

Both John Travolta and Samuel Jackson are slated for taking poor scripts, but I don't think this is as bad as say, SWAT. In fact I thouroughly enjoyed watching Basic, two big stars both with a certain presence to them certainly helped. I won't give away too much of the plot, its better if you go into this film without a clue, the twists are that much more credible.

I really can't see why so many people feel the need to moan about this film. Its sad that a lot of these 1 star reviews are from people who just have a grudge against Travolta or Jackson, just read them, hardly any say why the actual film is poor but slate the actor.

John Travolta as a soldier, cop, DEA agent or any sort of gun-weilding protagonist is simply not believable, therefore, the pretext for "Basic" is flawed before the story ever takes root.

Travolta reached his peak when he took top billing in "Saturday Night Fever", doing a great job of portraying a Brooklyn kid who is coming of age during the 70's disco era. But, outside of "Pulp Fiction" it's been all downhill after that, with a string of failures like "Stayin' Alive", "Broken Arrow", "Battlefield Earth", "Swordfish", and lest we forget, "Look Who's Talking II".

In "The Thin Red Line" Travolta played a U.S. Army General officer by method acting, evidently by imitating a talking plant. This huge miscasting no doubt greatly contributed to the failure of that film to garner any sort of approval by veiwing audiences.

"Basic" is another such failure. Casting Travolta in a roles like the DEA agent he plays in this film is like a kiss of death for the entire project. For one thing, the idea that his character is a former Army Ranger is a hoot. Casting somebody like Pauly Shore or maybe even Martin Short as a a former Army Ranger would be more believable.

Very predictably, Travolta manages to stink up the whole story, which isn't all that great to begin with. Yet, with an extremely limited acting range, Travolta continues to crank out box office bomb after bomb after bomb.

Oh well... That's Hollywood politics. After all, no one ever went broke underestimating the sophistication of the American public...

Im not a huge fan of Travolta but i dont hate him either
Other than Pulp Fiction i dont own any other Travolta films and wouldn't buy any either. Get Shorty comes close, his performance is good but the film just falters and eventually isn't that great.
Pulp Fiction supposedly revived his career and since then I haven't seen anything that has brought it up again
This film sucks
sucks
sucks
Not a zero star movie, it deserves the one
but anyone who owns it not only really enjoys terrible films, but really loves has been actors in their worst roles.
TRAVOLTA- Call Quentin you need him again

P.S Saturday Night Fever and Grease may be classics to some people but i find them:
GAY!
men in tights dancing is not my idea of a well rounded superbly acted dramatic film that i can enjoy repeatedly
those films remind me of films such as Dirty Dancing
Gay men and women may love them and they may be considered classics in their own right
but they are GAY
face it

Not even the obvious talents of John Travolta can help save help this mess. The plot makes little sense. Even after working back through the film with the aid of a DVD, there are too many loose ends.

It is clear that a team of writers failed to develop an idea of where the film is going. It has the feel of a script that might of had a good idea at one stage, but just lost it further on.

Finally, the directorial talent of John McTiernan was just squandered.

I rented this movie thinking it could not be that bad seeing as Samuel L. Jackson and J.T were in it. Boy was I wrong. This movie is so bad. The most damaging aspect are the plot twists. I like a good twist just as much as the next man but in this movie there is a twist about every 15-20 minutes and they don't make any sense. At the end of the movie i was lost and that would not be a bad thing if the twists were logical but they were not and so i did not care. Towards the end of the movie it seems the director or writer or whoever just said screw it and gave up on making an ending that would explain everything that happened in the movie. Its very bad. Don't buy this movie, rent it at best.
ALSO: I enjoyed the movie "wild things" because the twists all fit so maybe watch that instead.

Give me a break...this is the WORST movie I have seen in decades....the plot was worked over like a skinny, underfed mule hauling refrigerators up Mt. Everest. Two great actors WASTED in this inept "Flashbacks Gone Wild!!" airplane CRASH CRATER. Good God!!!!!!! The last scene of all the actors around a dining table sums up this piece of work.....looked like THEY thought this effort was some sort of joke ...having to be explained away ONE MORE FREAKN' time like this was some sort of actor's workshop roundtable discussion. Anybody on here who thinks this movie was some sort of Gorky Park type of plot twist movie needs therapy...and lots of it....for an extended period of time until you get over yourself. If I could have given this a MINUS 5, I would have. I feel used and tossed aside like a cellophane wrapper into the bushes off the 405 Freeway in Van Nuys.... See this movie and like it and you, my friend, have some serious, serious personality disorder issues.

Besides Identity, Basic is probably one of the best, well-made drama/suspense films I've seen. Roles were well casted; Samuel L. Jackson always makes a good, hardened army soldier, and John Travolta makes a good investigator who is very quick, nimble, if not full of mystery. I will admit it has taken a few times to watch to fully understand everything this rich plot had to offer. I would say my only reason for a 4 was the language... I usually don't mind language, but please take note this film as language-ridden like none other before it. For me it was a bit too much than what the film really called for.

However, weighing everything, this is a good film worth it's money.

If you don't like to think while you're watching a movie then stop reading this and go rent some overblown blockbuster. Basic is an incredible movie with more viable twists than I've seen in any other movie. It's fun to watch it multiple times simply to try to figure out how it all fits together (which, I assure you, it does). I can't help but like Travolta in this movie, and Jackson is always great. Critics panned the movie in theaters- more proof that critics actually don't think themselves- but everyone I've shown it to has enjoyed it. If you like suspense/mystery, then don't miss this one.

One's enjoyment of this movie probably will be determined by one's tolerance for being somewhat "cheated" by the screenwriter and director. If you don't mind a certain degree of dishonesty in the service of plot and surprise (and don't mind John Travolta), you'll probably rate this higher than I did. On the other hand, if you believe that a well done thriller by definition has to play fair with its audience, you'll likely feel manipulated and, yes, cheated.

This is one of those films that are difficult to discuss without spoiling the plot. Suffice it to say that I found the production values first rate, and the sound and action sequences generally well done. I don't mind Travolta, like Connie Nielsen, and wasn't too put off by a fairly cliched performance by Samuel Jackson as the (usual) hard-bitten Sergeant.

However, the movie cannot stand up to close analysis of the plot and its various devices. Sins against the viewer are committed by the screenwiter and director--the principle one being that characters who are shown to have certain knowledge at the end do not act consistently with that knowledge throughout.

That's all I'm going to say except that having the DVD will enable you to replay some of the scenes sufficiently to see the extent to which the viewer has been manipulated. There is honest and clever manipulation that always takes place in good thrillers, but this movie, while clever in spots, isn't very honest.

This film is interesting and suspenseful the entire way through. Both clever and well written it tells the story of a military training mission gone wrong from the perspective of several different officers. The cast of characters are great with the best performances by John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Giovanni Ribisi and Harry Connick Jr.

If you are looking for a military movie this will satisfy you but it takes more credit as a murder mystery. It is gripping, intriguing and a great whodunit with a twist that is unpredictable at the end. Highly entertaining and well worth the ride.