Basic (2003)
Genre: Thriller / Mystery
Duration: 98 minuten
Country:
United States / Germany
Directed by: John McTiernan
Stars: John Travolta, Connie Nielsen and Samuel L. Jackson
IMDb score:
6,4 (69.493)
Releasedate: 18 April 2003
Basic plot
"Deception is their most deadly weapon."
When hated drill sergeant Nathan West and six soldiers from his elite unit disappear during a training mission in Panama, an investigation is launched. Two commandos survive the mission, but they refuse to talk about what happened in the jungle. Former Army Ranger and current drug cop Tom Hardy is put on the case to extract information from the two soldiers. He soon discovers that Sergeant West was killed by his own men, but the two soldiers make conflicting statements about who is responsible for the killing.
Actors and actresses
DEA Agent Tom Hardy
Capt. Julia Osborne
Sgt. Nathan West
Levi Kendall
Raymond Dunbar
Mueller
Jay Pike
Nunez
Col. Bill Styles
Castro
Reviews & comments
SmackItUp
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- 3505 messages
- 2648 votes
So many names made the movie complicated. Other than that, the story has little substance. If you see through the improbabilities, you have a nice movie at home, but no more than that. I thought the ending was decent. Skinny 3*.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Shadowed
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- 11421 messages
- 6719 votes
Mme.
McTiernan making an effort to be a little more subtle. However, he does not succeed at all, because Basic feels just as clumsy as his other work. Only this time it has written an actual story to follow, but it doesn't always help the film move forward.
Especially since everything this movie exudes is crass action. The tone is very rude and not very subtle, so you can't take really subtle twists or dialogues seriously. Every scene quickly feels like an explosion could happen at any moment, literally. It doesn't help that you've cast some names that are familiar with the action genre.
But if you think about that, Basic isn't a bad film. The story is well put together and visually McTiernan holds his own. The images in the police station are not very impressive, but everything that takes place in Panama is nicely portrayed. Very dark, but the landscapes are used well.
There is also good acting, although no one is really special. Jackson and Travolta can play these kinds of roles with their eyes closed, and secondary characters can be called almost invisible. I had forgotten all the names afterwards, which betrays that the characters are never memorable. Not that you expect that from McTiernan, but in a film like this they could be worked out a little better.
Furthermore, I thought it was working towards a nice reveal, but otherwise Basic is not always the most exciting seat. It needs some time to get going and the tone is really too rude to really let a film like this land on its feet. Fortunately, it doesn't take unnecessarily long and there is enough happening to keep you interested as a viewer. Not a highlight, but okay for once.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Brabants
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- 2896 messages
- 2154 votes
Basic is a very ingenious film, which is due to very successful plot twists. The story takes time in terms of structure and then leaves you wonderfully surprised.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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