Starring: John Travolta, Connie Nielsen, Samuel L. Jackson, Tim Daly, Giovanni Ribisi Directed By: John McTiernan Average Rating: Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 Audience Rating: R (Restricted) Binding: DVD Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC Label: Sony Pictures Number of Items: 1 Region Code: 99 Release Date: July 08, 2003 Running Time: 99 minutes Theatrical Release Date: March 28, 2003
Product Description: Academy Award® nominees John Travolta (Best Actor in a Leading Role Pulp Fiction 1994) and Samuel L. Jackson (Best Actor in a Supporting Role Pulp Fiction 1994) team up with action director John McTiernan (Die Hard The Hunt for Red October Predator) in a white-knuckle "thrill ride with a twist you won't believe!" (MairiAnna Bachynsky ATV/CTV ENTERTAINMENT) Also starring Connie Nielsen (The Hunted Gladiator) Giovanni Ribisi (Gone in Sixty Seconds) Brian Van Holt (Black Hawk Down) Taye Diggs (Chicago) and Roselyn Sanchez (Rush Hour 2). A DEA officer (Travolta) is recruited to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a famed U.S. Army drill instructor (Jackson) and a group of cadets on a routine military exercise in the jungles of Panama. But the journey to uncover the truth leads to some dangerous and unexpected places when two rescued survivors tell dramatically different versions of what transpired. "Totally mesmerizing." (Lisa Petrillo WFOR/CBS (Miami)/EXTRA)DVD FeaturesMastered in High DefinitionDirector's CommentaryFilmographiesTheatrical TrailerFeaturettes: "Basic: A Director's Design" "Basic Ingredients A Writer's Perspective"Subtitles: English FrenchAnamorphic WidescreenSystem Requirements:Running Time 99 MinsFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: R UPC: 043396097452 Manufacturer No: 09745
Amazon.com: If you thought The Recruit was full of surprises, Basic will spin your head around. Assuming that cleverness is its own reward, this military mystery shares many of The Recruit's strengths and weaknesses, offering multi-layered deception as its dramatic raison d'etre. Copping plenty of machismo attitude befitting a semi-effective thriller from Die Hard director John McTiernan, John Travolta stars as an ex-Army Ranger-turned-DEA agent, recruited by an Army investigator (Connie Nielsen) to solve the fratricide of a reviled Sergeant (Samuel L. Jackson) who was allegedly killed while commanding a Special Forces training mission in the hurricane-swept rainforests of Panama. Two survivors (Giovanni Ribisi in a showboat role, and Brian Van Holt) recall the ill-fated mission as the truth unfolds, Rashomon-style, in a series of repetitive flashbacks. Tricky enough to hold one's attention as it grows increasingly irrelevant, Basic is so enamored of its bogus ingenuity that its ultimate twist is a letdown. A second viewing might prove rewarding, if only to confirm that it all holds together. --Jeff Shannon
Interesting, with a nice twist I always like movies where you don't see the ending coming - where there's always a unique twist at the end. A good way to spend an evening.
Samuel L. Jackson's performance makes this an alright movie but there are two many plot twists for the average viewer Basic is another failure of a film from director John McTiernan. McTiernan who used to make good movies like Preadtor, Die Hard & Die Hard 3 hasn't made a good movie since Die Hard 3 spins this confusing film. On one hand I do give the director respect for his attempt to make an uodated version of Rashômon but he film lacks the action sequences McTiernan is known for. The performances by Connie Nelson is horrible and she has a bad accent as for John Travolta he seems bored but as always Samuel L.Jackson delviers the good. The trailer spoils a lot for the film but trust me you try to figure out something in the film your head will hurt.
Awesome Bad Movie This is one of those movies that you criticise whenever you're thinking logically...even though you secretly love it when you've got a night alone and feel like watching a movie.
The acting is...passable. The writing is on the same level. The plot is downright silly, but enjoyable at the same time. Enough money went into this picture to leave nothing missing from sound, special effects, or set pieces. The holes in the plot are huge, but the producers seem to have gone with the "if you can't hide it, feature it" school of thought. It's left as an open-ended, figure-it-out-yourself closing at the end (don't try TOO hard).
Look, I'm not going to argue that this movie will be remembered in 50 years. All I can say is I've watched it about 10 times, with everyone from army buddies to a range of girlfriends, to family, all the way to friends from school and training...and it's always a great movie for a rainy night in.
Worth the price. Fun.
Great potential--ruined 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
Basic - Plot 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.
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