John Travolta,
Connie Nielsen,
Samuel L. Jackson,
Giovanni Ribisi,
Brian Van Holt
... see 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. Nat... read more
Directed by: John McTiernan
Release Date: March 28, 2003
Keywords:
john travolta,
many twists,
plot twists,
connie nielsen,
John Travolta ,
Die Hard ,
Sam Jackson ,
Connie Nielsen
DVD Release Date: July 8, 2003
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Stats: 2,014 reviews
Your Rating
Flixster Reviews (2,014)
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March 25, 2011Full 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.
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February 11, 2011The 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 t... read more
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September 30, 2009After 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!
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July 11, 2009An 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 a... read more
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December 22, 2008This 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... read more
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April 17, 2007A 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 w... read more
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February 15, 2008Perhaps too many plot twists? Is that possible? But I was pleasantly surprised.
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February 27, 2011The 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.
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May 17, 2010Remember 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... read more
Critic Reviews
March 31, 2010
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
April 22, 2003
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. Full Review
April 10, 2003
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
Made up of remnants from other, better films.
April 1, 2003
Ed Park, Village Voice
Nothing is as it appears, except the fact that nothing is as it appears. Full Review
March 31, 2003
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. Full Review
March 28, 2003
Peter Howell, Toronto Star
Travolta is a vital presence that constantly holds our attention, even when the script is threatening to lose it. Full Review
March 28, 2003
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
The plot twists, reversals, false accounts, unreliable narrators and conflicting testimonies that make up the story of Basic are just not worth revisiting, unless one wants to tie one's brain into a k... Full Review
March 28, 2003
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee
You know the drill. You've seen it before -- sometimes set in a police precinct house -- and you'll no doubt see it again. Full Review
March 28, 2003
Bruce Westbrook, Houston Chronicle
Basic is too busy changing rules and strutting its cleverness. Full Review
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Basic
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