Basic (2003)

21% of critics liked it
(141 reviews)
65% of users liked it
(55,128 ratings)

The disappearance of a military leader and the death of four of his men leads two investigators to wade through a morass of deceptions and half-truths in search of the facts in this thriller. Sgt. Nathan West (Samuel L. Jackson) is the leader of an elite team of U.S. Army Special Forces operatives… More The disappearance of a military leader and the death of four of his men leads two investigators to wade through a morass of deceptions and half-truths in search of the facts in this thriller. Sgt. Nathan West (Samuel L. Jackson) is the leader of an elite team of U.S. Army Special Forces operatives known as the Army Rangers; West is known as a highly effective officer, but one with a short temper and aggressive attitude who is not well liked by his soldiers. During a seemingly routine training exercise in Panama, a hurricane sweeps in, and four of West's six men are dead, while West himself seems to have vanished. Eager to get the facts behind what happened, Col. Bill Styles (Tim Daly) assigns Capt. Julia Osborne (Connie Nielsen) to investigate. However, Osborne is having a hard time getting the two survivors to talk, so Styles brings in Tom Hardy (John Travolta), a former Army Ranger who served under West and became a first-class interrogator; Hardy later became a DEA agent, but left law enforcement after allegations of corruption. Hardy interviews Dunbar (Brian Van Holt), who claims that the four soldiers had been murdered, and West was killed in retaliation. Kendall (Giovanni Ribisi), the other survivor (whose father is a powerful officer) has a very different story of how the five men turned up dead, and it's up to Hardy and Osborne to determine who is telling the truth -- or if anyone is saying exactly what happened. Basic marked the first time John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson appeared in the same film together since their breakthrough roles in Pulp Fiction. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 38 min.
Directed By: John McTiernan
Written By: James Vanderbilt
Genres: Drama, Action & Adventure, Mystery & Suspense

In Theaters: Mar 28, 2003 Wide
On DVD: Jul 8, 2003
Studio: Sony Pictures Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
Director John McTiernan does a swell job with James Vanderbilt's sneaky script in keeping us guessing.
Jack Mathews, New York Daily News
You can fall asleep in the first reel, wake up at the end, and know as much as anyone else.
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
Made up of remnants from other, better films.
Ed Park, Village Voice
Nothing is as it appears, except the fact that nothing is as it appears.
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
[Basic] had a great sense of itself and it had a lot of fun taking us from one corner to the next and then spinning us around until we got dizzy and didn't know where we were. I like that.
Peter Howell, Toronto Star
Travolta is a vital presence that constantly holds our attention, even when the script is threatening to lose it.
Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
Basically bad and sorry attempt at a thriller.
Prairie Miller, Long Island Press
Best described as military noir, Basic reunites John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson in a kind of Pulp Fiction with rain and fatigues, plus a chaser of Rashomon on the side.
Matt Kelemen, Las Vegas CityLife
McTiernan's bitten off way more than he could chew, spicing up the Usual Suspects approach with a dash of Rashomon and a little of help from A Few Good Men.
Greg Maki, Star-Democrat (Easton, MD)
Basic is one of those rare movies without even a single redeeming quality.
Daniel M. Kimmel, Worcester Telegram & Gazette
The problem is that we've been given nothing to make us care for any of these people, so when the mysteries unravel there's nothing in the answers that hit us at a gut level.
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
A estrutura narrativa (obviamente inspirada em Rashomon) é interessante, mas a necessidade de criar reviravoltas surpreendentes praticamente destrói o filme, já que, ao final da projeção, nada mais faz sentido.

Read all 12 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Lady D

Full of twists and turns, but none of them particularly exciting, it's almost a film that tries too hard, the filming, I felt was a little too dark, visually speaking. Watchable, but easily forgettable.
familiar s

The movie was alright, but I wish they'd not pulled out the oldest story from the book for the ending. As if this weren't enough, its predictable twist is followed by several unpredictable twists. Now, this might be a positive point for some, but it turned me off. Besides… More
The movie was alright, but I wish they'd not pulled out the oldest story from the book for the ending. As if this weren't enough, its predictable twist is followed by several unpredictable twists. Now, this might be a positive point for some, but it turned me off. Besides being totally unnecessary, these twists were utterly nonsensical and ruin the ending of the movie. I'd have rather liked the movie as a thriller than as a suspense. Had it ended right before that predictable twist, I guess I'd have liked the movie more.
Anthony L

After dishing out twist after twist, many of which are predictable, this film saves the best till last! Very engrossing and unpredictable (as it turns out), this is a top thriller!
Al S

An intense and hard-boiled thriller. An edge of your seat ride with suspense and surprises that you will never see coming. You'll be guessing right till the very end. A gripping, electrifying, sensational, pulse-pounding and action-packed mystery. John Travolta gives an awsome… More
An intense and hard-boiled thriller. An edge of your seat ride with suspense and surprises that you will never see coming. You'll be guessing right till the very end. A gripping, electrifying, sensational, pulse-pounding and action-packed mystery. John Travolta gives an awsome and explosive performance.
Bruce B

This is a great film, John Travolta played an awesome part. Alone with the rest of the crew. The interrogation parts were to real. The Mission parts real. Prior Military will enjoy, those who have never even looked at a uniform let alone put one on, most likely will not enjoy and give… More
This is a great film, John Travolta played an awesome part. Alone with the rest of the crew. The interrogation parts were to real. The Mission parts real. Prior Military will enjoy, those who have never even looked at a uniform let alone put one on, most likely will not enjoy and give a bad review, my question, why did you even rent it. In my opinion a must see movie.
Curtis L

sucked.
Luke B

A spin on Rashomon. Bringing it to modern day with a group of soldiers. This film also saw John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson reunited after Pulp Fiction. Only problem is they are hardly on screen together. Although the film is perfectly respectable, it sometimes fumbles about with… More
A spin on Rashomon. Bringing it to modern day with a group of soldiers. This film also saw John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson reunited after Pulp Fiction. Only problem is they are hardly on screen together. Although the film is perfectly respectable, it sometimes fumbles about with the complex narrative and as the viewer I became as irritated as the lead investigator. Enjoyable but missable.
a b

Perhaps too many plot twists? Is that possible? But I was pleasantly surprised.
Quinto W

The movie thinks it's so smart because it keeps throwing twist after twist, when in reality what it is doing is change all the information all the time.
alan j

Remember the movie "The Usual Suspects??" If you enjoyed that one, run to see this movie! The acting by Travolta is a joy to watch, and the storytelling will hold your interest...the plot twists are like riding a rollercoaster and will keep your mind spinning. The ending… More
Remember the movie "The Usual Suspects??" If you enjoyed that one, run to see this movie! The acting by Travolta is a joy to watch, and the storytelling will hold your interest...the plot twists are like riding a rollercoaster and will keep your mind spinning. The ending is a stunner you won't see coming, trust me.
Lee K

meh...
Nikki M

The twist in this movie is subtle which makes it that much better in the end!!!
Kyle S

This movie keeps you guessing right until the very end, right when you think you know the truth, it switches on you into a whole different direction.
Chosen 7

Great film, superb performances and a good twist.
Barry L

Very good story with a twist.