Basic (2003)
"I bet it would look pretty cool if I rolled up a pack of cigarettes in my sleeve."
Starring: |
John Travolta |
Released By: |
Columbia Tri-Star |
Released In: |
2003 |
Rated: |
R |
Reviewed By: |
Adam Mast |
Grade: |
D |
Basic is a film that's anything but basic in the plot department. While I'm always up for a nifty, twist-filled thriller, a line has to be drawn and Basic crosses it all too often.
In this military mystery, John Travolta plays an ex-Army soldier called upon by an old military buddy (played by Tim Daly) to help solve a bizarre case that resulted in the death of several soldiers who were in the middle of a routine training exercise. Only two men survived the slaughter and Travolta must solve this puzzle through information provided by these would-be suspects.
While I watched this convoluted film I was instantly reminded of two far superior efforts that worked much more convincingly. With it's big plot twists and interrogation sequences, The Usual Suspects leapt to mind, however, Basic doesn't know when to quit. Before long, it becomes an exercise in absurdity. With it's flashbacks and conflicting accounts of a single event, I couldn't help but think of the moving, military character study Courage Under Fire. The Denzel Washington drama was much more character driven, while Basic is far more interested in jerking the audience around with it's gimmicky twists.
John Travolta tries to play his role as a cool hipster, and it just doesn't work. He has unlimited energy, but ultimately, he serves as a distraction and I never really bought into him as the intellectual he's supposed to be. Samuel L. Jackson has loads of fun as an in- your-face Sgt., colorfully lashing out at his troops. However, while watching film roles like this, I'm always reminded of R. Lee Ermey's extraordinarily ferocious work in Full Metal Jacket. Connie Nielsen is an absolute bore as the military captain assisting Travolta in piecing together the whole mystery. The most interesting performances come from bit part players including Taye Diggs and Harry Connick Jr., but it is Giovanni Ribisi who gives the most memorable turn as one of the surviving soldiers.
Basic was directed by John McTiernan and I'm happy to report that this is a vast improvement upon his last film, the dreadful Rollerball, but this isn't exactly praise. What happened to this guy? I mean, he made Die Hard! In his defense, he did the best he could with the dis-jointed material he had to work with, and certainly, much of Basic is well shot.
Basic is mediocre primarily due to it's silly screenplay. As I stated, writer James Vanderbolt goes way overboard with the twists, and the final one isn't only ridiculous and seemingly nonsensical, it's also rather offensive. It paints a terribly unflattering portrait of American military personnel. I know this isn't a movie meant to be taken too seriously, but given the nature of world events it couldn't have been more poorly timed.
I really wanted to enjoy Basic for what it was, but for the most part, I was annoyed by it. Surprising twists will only get you so far. You have to have a compelling story and interesting characters to back them up.
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