Basic

Rating:
Summary: Travolta Dominates the Screen
Review: "Basic" is a relatively entertaining mystery movie that delights in pulling the rug out from under its audience at regular intervals. This is one of those military thrillers in which a sadistic, hotheaded sergeant (Samuel L. Jackson), who is uniformly despised by the men in his squadron, dies under mysterious circumstances while leading a basic training exercise in Panama. A DEA officer (John Travolta), whose own moral code seems to be in question what with rumors of drug dealings lurking in his background, is called in to investigate.

For long stretches of its running time, "Basic" feels like a puzzle in search of a key to its solution. The attempt at a "Roshomon"-like flashback structure - in which the same event is viewed through the conflicting testimonies of multiple eyewitnesses - often leads to more confusion than clarity, resulting in the audience scratching its head wondering just what is actually going on here. One of the primary reasons for this air of incomprehensibility is the fact that the filmmakers don't do a sufficient job differentiating the minor characters from one another so that we can't always understand who is doing what to whom and why any of what we are seeing on screen really matters. However, the trick turnabout ending goes a long way towards clearing things up - or making them even more confusing, depending on how you look at it. For that's just the kind of film "Basic" is; it exists entirely to deceive and trick the audience and make us thank it for the privilege of being bamboozled - and that it does reasonably well. Actually, the key to enjoying a film like "Basic" is to go with the flow and not worry overmuch if every plot detail makes perfect sense when seen in the grand scheme of things.

"Basic" is noteworthy mainly for the terrific, slightly over-the-top performance of Travolta, who seems to be having the time of his movie acting life playing this highly charismatic, no-nonsense, slightly seedy rogue investigator. Travolta commands the screen in a way that few members of his acting generation are able to do these days. He alone is reason enough to check out "Basic."

Rating:
Summary: DAMNNNN GOOD
Review: Remember its a movieeeee guysss.
Well i wont tell anythign about the story like the other reviwers.
JUST TAKE THE TIME AND WATCH THIS ONE, very good, good actors, and a good finale.
if you like movies were you try to guess whats happening, and its not that, the you go ahhh now i know, and pum it wasnt it neither. WELL THIS ONE WILL STAND YOU GUESSING TILL THE END. ITS GOOODDD

Rating:
Summary: kinda like it
Review: i didn't find allot to like about this other than the brief action scenes. i didn't find it very fun but i kinda like it.

Rating:
Summary: Who's on First?
Review: This film spins around and around and around.... First its a murder mystery, then its a conspiracy thriller then its a psychological thriller then it turns into something else entirely at the end.

The producers of this goofy film forgot the basics of filming mysteries: audiences enjoy them more if you actually give them clues and offer up logical plot twists. This mess does'nt do any of that.

Rating:
Summary: An awe-inspiring, intellectually challenging thriller
Review: There is nothing basic about Basic. I thought this movie was superb; maybe I'm easier to please than a lot of the people who criticize the script because I found this to be one of the most intelligent, mesmerizing, blow-your-mind movies I've ever seen. It's a rare treat to find a movie that is not completely predictable these days, and Basic takes unpredictability and surprise to unheard of levels. There was one small aspect of the saga I successfully predicted early on, but the rest of the twists and turns this movie takes had me doing mental gymnastics. Every time you start to think you've seen at least a shadow of the light, this movie rips the rug back out from under you and plunges you into even darker depths of confusion and doubt. Best of all, this elaborate plot actually holds together, which is really just amazing. Basic is a movie that makes you think, and I have no problem admitting that I was often at a loss as to what was really going on; Basic did not insult my intelligence in any way shape or form; it challenged it constantly and delightfully humbled me in the process.

At the center of the story is a Special Forces training mission that goes horribly awry. Only two of six soldiers make it out of the Panamanian jungle, one of whom is injured and the other of whom isn't talking. The base commander Styles (Timothy Daly) calls in his old buddy Hardy (John Travolta) to interrogate the witness because he feels the job is over the head of Army investigator Osborne (Connie Nielsen). Before the feds get involved, Styles wants to know why the unit leader Sgt. West (Samuel L. Jackson) and four soldiers are lying dead somewhere out in the jungle. Hardy is a former Ranger who served under and hated West, but he is now an agent with the Drug Enforcement Agency. Hardy gets the one soldier to tell his version of events, only to hear a much different story from the injured soldier when he wakes up in the hospital. So begins a quest for the truth that has Hardy and Osborne running back and forth between witnesses, discovering unexpected aspects of the case such as the existence of drug-smuggling operations being carried out inside the base and hospital, and discovering that the big fish they are striving so hard to reel in is one big whopper indeed.

Do things become confusing? That's affirmative, but I see this in a positive light. This movie makes you stop and think, turning over what you have heard in your own mind not so much to predict the future as to merely stay caught up with the twists and turns you have just seen revealed before your very eyes. In the final analysis, one or two little aspects of the presentation, which occur largely in the form of dream-like flashbacks, may have a weak leg to stand on but never come close to collapsing or falling over. Some will probably be tempted to just throw their hands up in the air and give up trying to understand everything, but those who love a challenge, especially one presented in such a theatrical and awe-inspiring way, will find themselves energized and inspired to a degree few movies can hope to duplicate. For my money, Basic is one of the most intelligent, suspenseful thrillers I've seen in a long time.

Rating:
Summary: Getting Down To Basics
Review: Anyone who has read enough of my movie/DVD reviews might have noticed that I haven't discussed the work of John Travolta a whole lot. Truth to tell, I'm not a big fan of the star, no matter what he does (save for maybe Broken Arrow). Therefore, I steer clear of having to explain, or repeat myself. Along comes Basic, directed by John "Die Hard" "Hunt For Red October" McTiernan, whose work I usually like and I'm there to give it a shot.

Tom Hardy (Travolta) is a former Army Ranger-turned-DEA agent, who is recruited by Army investigator Julia Osborne (Connie Nielsen) to help investigate the death of much hated Sergeant Nathan West. (Samuel L. Jackson). The evidence seems to indicate that West was allegedly killed, while commanding a secret Special Forces training mission in Panama, during an intense hurricane. Among the survivors of the ill-fated excercise is Kendall (Giovanni Ribisi), who along with others, is asked to recall what really happened. Conficting accounts signal something sinister

Basic follows the same formula of say, Courage Under Fire, another "millitary mystery". Rather than go for anything resembling compelling drama, McTirenan goes full on, with plenty of machismo. I have no problem with that at all. Indeed, Travolta's performance is even tolerable, this time out. What DOES hurt the film for me though, is its poor script by James Vanderbilt. What starts off as a solid story, quickly becomes too interested in misdirecting the audience, that it sort of falls apart. By the time you reach the end, you'll find yourself disappointed and dismayed, rather than be "shocked" by the result.

The DVD has a handfull of extras. Usually I enjoy any audio commentary by director John McTiernan. This time though, like the film itself, he gets bogged down, and what he has to say isn't all that interesting I'm sorry to say. There are also two featurettes. The first called "Basic: A Director's Design," while the second, "Basic Ingredients: A Writer's Perspective" is almost laughable given the script issues I had. Last, but not least, is the theatrical trailer for the film.

What an ironic experience for me...The one thing I expected to be the movie's biggest problem...wasn't after all. Still, It's hard to recommend Basic, as anything other than a rental. And given the lack of worthwhile bonus material, even that, may be quite a stretch

Rating:
Summary: First class mystery...
Review: This film is a stylish, military thriller and murder mystery from the director of 'Die Hard with a Vengeance', John McTiernan, that maintains its tension and intrigue from start to finish. By their definition, thriller/mysteries are designed to keep you guessing throughout the tale, and a big part of the entertainment value is the process of determining the identity of the killer. This film indeed keeps the viewer guessing and continues to do so until the end. There are some of us who have that ability to watch any mystery film and deduce the culprit's identity within the first ten minutes of the story. (I'm not one of them) But I would bet anyone my last dollar to figure out this film's ending, the final twist is exceptionally clever and surprising.

It was also a pleasure to see Travolta and Jackson together on the screen again. After seeing this picture, I was reminded of that intense charisma and power these two actor's command on screen; both have that undeniable star quality that shines in every project they do.

Overall this is a well-crafted thriller/mystery that rivets the viewer's attention from the start, and doesn't let go until the final scene - first class entertainment.

Rating:
Summary: The Art of Deception
Review: Kevin D.Mitnic one of the world's most famous hackers once wrote a book called (The Art of Deception) ,In his book he discussed the various methods for a person to make deceptive moves originating from ordinary situations ,By reading this book you come to close understanding of an important fact about the human's nature ,The fact is that deception is merely a natural instinct planted deeply there within every human being ,And (Basic) plays well around this fact .

Travolta plays the role of DEA agent (Hardy) who is assigned to investigate the disappearance of U.S Army drill instructor (Nathan West) played by Jackson ,And also uncover the mysterious circumstances surrounding the finding of only two survivors from the group that were accompanying West during their training in the jungles of Panama ,He teams with officer (Osborne) played by Connie Nielsen ,And what first seems to be an ordinary military investigation leads to a very astonishing truth .

Basic actually is a good thriller ,It captures the viewer's attention slowly and gradually ,That is helped by specific use elements both technically and plotting ,The pouring rain during the movie events helped to raise the attention level by casting a dark atmosphere ,There is also some plot devices thrown here and there to help the forming of the movie's conclusion ,Some or many viewers complained about some thing strange which is the movie was full of twists ,In close inspection for this complaint you can't help but admire the script written by James Vinderbilt ,It may seems a little bit complicated and hard to follow when the two survivors begin to tell what's happened out there in the jungle with every one of them telling completely different story ,But this is not the vital element here and soon many other truths are revealed which leads us to the conclusion which I can't see anything wrong with ,It's just seems unpredictable at all and this may bothers some people .

Director John John McTiernan delivered a good thriller which isn't traditional or cheap looking in any way ,The events was moving quickly and he succeeded in casting both Travolta and Jackson for the leading roles ,Actually Travolta made one of his most strong performance in the recent years ,Playing it simple and straight ,He really captured the frame while he is there ,But that unfortunately wasn't enough ,I am talking here about the movie not about Travolta ,It just needed more accurate plotting which isn't focused on the conclusion because it's not completely satisfying when you feel at the end that the whole plot is put there to lead to the finale ,Although it was brilliant as I noted before but I wished that the movie was more deep ,I really felt hungry for more after the credit were rolling .

Rating:
Summary: A little harsh!!
Review: I believe that there is much to be said about a film that uses cinematic experience to lead you astray.

This film seems to know what your thinking and quite cleverly follows you visually on that journey to ultimate discovery.

The actors pull of a believable performance and John travolta's even moulded his piled on pounds for the role!!

If your looking for a well screened, well scripted film that quite pleasantly expects you to use your brain a little bit then i highly recommend this film- it's easily on a par with phone booth and the recruit.

Rating:
Summary: A bunch of nonsense
Review: I was really looking forward to this movie, all my friends were saying how good it was. Then i finally got to watch it and found it to be very boring. First off they shouldn't have put so many twists in, it got confusing at times. Then John should't have been in their and made it kinda a love story slash army story romance isnt always needed. Their is nothing i hate more then a hard core army story mixed with love it just doesnt work. Then the end was weak some may say it was good but it was a very weak plot. It was just thrown in to make people happy oh noone died how nice. Well this movie gets a yank yank not worth the time of the day.