Basic

The initial investigation of past events through flashbacks is so boring and uninteresting that it doesn’t draw you into the plot at all and after the first major twist, you don't know which way is north. And you’re only halfway through the movie, with about ten more twists like this still to come, plus one final twist that would put a hole in Keyser Söze’s head. The problem with Basic is that John McTiernan is no Bryan Singer. And predatory action in the rainforest is not a priority in his screenplay. The film is just an unbelievably overwrought and muddled cock-and-bull story that not even the excellent cast can save. (19.06.2003)

Basic was supposed to be a comeback for both Johns McTiernan and Travolta. Well, neither of them made it back into the spotlight with this film. But finding the culprit is a little more complicated. The idea of screenwriter James Vanderbilt was not bad at all. The various combinations of one theme - the death of a despised officer - leave ample room for the audience's imagination and contemplation, only to be ultimately shocked by the "twist" at the end. I would like to say that I "swallowed it hook, line, and sinker," but that wasn't the case. No, I really didn't guess the final scene, but I also wasn't given the opportunity to do so. The barrage of flashbacks, where testimonies, events, and even characters change, didn't glue me to my seat. About half an hour before the end, I completely gave up on the whole resolution of the case, and without much interest, I let the film sail to the "end," which, after the whole escapade of making fun of the audience, feels more like a precisely aimed slap in the face than a real "shock." Director McTiernan also doesn’t get away unscathed with a pass saying, "it's all the screenplay's fault." The opening foray into the jungle is so reminiscent of Predator that it brings tears of emotion to weaker souls. McTiernan definitely knows how to handle action, but in this film, there is not enough of it – after all, it is a "detective drama" – and he has never been one for too much blabbing. The characters are introduced quickly, but so briefly that I only realized after the end credits that the only truly standout performance was by Samuel L. Jackson as the leader of the West team because he was a real bastard. I would like to write more about other characters, but how can I write about someone when I don't remember them the day after watching the movie? John Travolta reprised his role from The General's Daughter but this time, he seemed even more tired and overacted quite a bit. When he casually laid his not-so-young body on the table during an interrogation, it made me feel strong discomfort in my stomach. Connie Nielsen seems to be afraid of Travolta and in his presence, she retreats into the background and recites her learned lines without a hint of interest. Basic isn't actually a bad movie, it's just poorly acted and badly and tediously directed. After fixing all these flaws, we’d have a "military investigative drama" that fits perfectly. I’m giving it three stars mainly because I also gave them to West's The General's Daughter, and besides, this film is slightly worse than McTiernan's latest work, which is not a victory for John either. Actually, for neither of them. (27.06.2005)

It could have been a military crime story with an unremarkable punchline. And if the creators wanted to mess up the finale, they could have had two punchlines. But hell's bells, the hell with the audience and in the final twenty-minute mess, the motivation of one of the characters changes every three minutes. I didn't care about the ending at all and Basic leaves the impression of a joke that targets the viewer themselves. If this is supposed to be McTiernan's dot, it's quite a crying shame. (26.03.2006)