Basic

Basic (2003)

  • 21% of critics liked it
    (141 reviews)

  • 64% of users liked it
    (56,016 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

Play Trailer

R,
Directed By
Written By
James Vanderbilt
Genres
Drama, Action & Adventure, Mystery & Suspense
In Theaters
Mar 28, 2003 Wide
On DVD
Jul 8, 2003
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.

Read all 24 critic reviews

See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • ♥˩ƳИИ &


    "<b>Basic</b> was a good movie with a lot of twists. Everytime I thought I had it figured out it changed on me again. It was surprising right down to the ending credits. The movie is about the murder of Sgt. Nathan and most of his squad. The suspects are the rest of… More

  • Emil K


    There is no doubt that the script by wonderful James Vanderbilt is just pure genius. Director John McTiernan uses the jungle-setting for a maximum effect. This one has genuinely creepy atmosphere with Samuel L. Jackson giving one of his most strongest performances today. Beware of… More

  • 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

  • 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!

Read all 19 featured audience ratings

Get It Now

Available in standard definition

Learn more about renting and buying on Flixster

Also available on

UltraViolet Retailers

Other Retailers

Subscription Services

Not Available
Not Available

Cast

See more (24)

Trailers & Clips

More Like This