Basic

If you thought The Recruit was full of surprises, Basic will spin your head around. Assuming that cleverness is its own reward, this military mystery shares many of The Recruit's strengths and weaknesses, offering multi-layered deception as its dramatic raison d'etre. Copping plenty of machismo attitude befitting a semi-effective thriller from Die Hard director John McTiernan, John Travolta stars as an ex-Army Ranger-turned-DEA agent, recruited by an Army investigator (Connie Nielsen) to solve the fratricide of a reviled Sergeant (Samuel L. Jackson) who was allegedly killed while commanding a Special Forces training mission in the hurricane-swept rainforests of Panama. Two survivors (Giovanni Ribisi in a showboat role, and Brian Van Holt) recall the ill-fated mission as the truth unfolds, Rashomon-style, in a series of repetitive flashbacks. Tricky enough to hold one's attention as it grows increasingly irrelevant, Basic is so enamored of its bogus ingenuity that its ultimate twist is a letdown. A second viewing might prove rewarding, if only to confirm that it all holds together. --Jeff Shannon

Theatrical International release dates:
Europe: Jun 20, 03
Japan: Sep 13, 03
Australia: May 29, 03

Movie Details

Cast: John Travolta, Connie Nielsen, Samuel L. Jackson, Tim Daly, Giovanni Ribisi, Brian Van Holt, Taye Diggs, Dash Mihok, Cristián de la Fuente, Roselyn Sanchez, Harry Connick Jr., Georgia Hausserman, Margaret Travolta, Dena Johnston, Nick Loren
MPAA Rating: R
Running time: 98 min
DVD Aspect Ratios: 2.40:1

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DVD Features:

• Color
• Closed-captioned
• Widescreen
• Dolby

International rating:

Europe: 15
Australia: MA

DVD International release dates:
North America: Jul 8, 03
Europe: Jan 19, 04

VHS International release dates:
North America: Jun 1, 04
Europe: Jan 19, 04