Basic (2003)

Touches You

the audience applauded

Good concept, poorly executed.

Watching it is like watching the spectacle of a class clown at their best: you laugh at their jokes, instigate their defiance, and "ooooh" when they get in trouble.

Despite its flaws, I love this movie. I must have watched this movie 2 dozen times over the years. It's a B-movie whose plot does not make sense. The things I like about this movie are the chemistry between actors/characters and the film noir mood of the movie. This is a conspiracy movie that has a lot of smoke screens. It is best not to make sense of the plot of this movie as it would require a significant suspension of disbelief. There's a conspiracy/mystery, some characters try and do "resolve" it, and then there's a "satisfying" resolution at the end.Overall, I would recommend it to people just to pass the time.

Take the movie for what it is... good plain old entertainment. The reviews by most are far too critical. This movie was made to be enjoyed in front of a warm fire, a glass of red and a hint of "who the hell really cares".It's fast paced and a good ride with fun plot twists along the way.You'll totally have fun and a few wry smiles along the way.

All I'd like to say is that this movie sucks on so many levels. John Travolta as usual was very charming in his portrayal of an ex marine, current super Investigator. Samuel L. Jackson too gives a short but powerful performance as a cold military instructor. It was a gigantic waste of my time. I can understand movies which tell the stories from different people's perspectives like A Few Good Men. But the sheer number of characters in this movie makes it nearly impossible to keep note of who actually died and who didn't. I had completely lost all interest in the plot by the time the movie ended. Ending - Disappointing !

This film is not exactly "Rashomon" of 1951.Samuel L. Jackson portrays a vicious sergeant who really takes it out on one of his officers. Set in Panama during a hurricane, this film depicts what has occurred during a training session.Several different versions attempt to explain what has happened to Jackson and some of the recruits on this session.John Travolta portrays a DEA agent who had left the army as an interrogator. Every time that Travolta, who has been called back to interrogate, seems to find answers, there are still more and more questions posed to him and the rest of the cast.Is there an honorable person? This is what the film tries to prove as we learn about drug dealing among the various cartels in the area.The ending is absolutely ridiculous. You just can't trust anyone.