[McTiernan] builds his momentum until by the end, the truth turns on a dime so quickly that it all but leaves a sonic boom in its wake.
Comment
04/05/03
Rate this Movie 
Basic (2003)
21
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work
Reviews Counted:138
Fresh:29
Rotten:109
Average Rating:4.5/10
Consensus: Basic gets so needlessly convoluted in its plot twists that the viewer eventually loses interest.
Theatrical Release:Mar 28, 2003 Wide
Box Office: $26,536,120
Synopsis: John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson team up in BASIC, an action-packed military thriller from director John McTiernan (DIE HARD). Jackson plays Sergeant Nathan West, propagator of a harsh military... [More]
Starring: John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Harry Connick, Taye Diggs
Director: John McTiernan
Get This Movie
Reviews for Basic
Click to read the article
04/05/03
A crackling good popcorn movie with perhaps one too many twists in its pretzel of a plot.
04/03/03
Vanderbilt's screenplay ought to be court-martialed.
04/03/03
There is nothing basic about this multi-layered story that has more twists and turns than a Coney Island roller coaster.
04/02/03
It really doesn't matter what you think you know about Basic because the movie doesn't provide any answers to the most important question: Why?
04/02/03
Once we sift past the labyrinth of manipulation, dramatic trickery and enough 'Rashomon' red herrings to put us off seafood forever, it's the 'Seinfeld' of thrillers — unapologetic about leading us down the garden path, then proud and self-effacing in bei
04/01/03
Nothing is as it appears, except the fact that nothing is as it appears.
04/01/03
a film that has not one, not two but three separate "ah-ha!" moments, which would be excruciating if not for the saving graces of John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson's relentless charisma.
04/01/03
The film tries too hard to be something it isn't - a smart, crafty little cross between "The Usual Suspects," "Rashomon" and "The General's Daughter" as directed by John Woo after taking one heady snort of glue.
04/01/03
Click to read the article
03/31/03
Travolta's performance in Basic is irritatingly familiar to his overacted, spastic performance in The General's Daughter.
03/31/03
[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.
03/31/03
Top CriticWell-staged hokum with no sort of emotional resonance or weight. After some interesting set-up, Basic is basically just a series of pull-rugs, each methodically, professionally -- but coldly -- yanked out from under us.
03/31/03
It was hard to laugh at this dumb military thriller because it was so numbing.
03/31/03
“Basic” is a good-looking film that has some earnest performances but it gets too wrapped up in all of its twists and turns that, in the end, confuse more than entertain.
03/31/03
A more accurate title would be 'Convoluted,' 'Incoherent' or 'Dishonest.'
03/31/03
Add to the mix some very unlikable and poorly written characters, constant rain, at least 10 “surprise” endings and an overly loud soundtrack and “Basic” becomes an effort to watch.
03/30/03
McTiernan’s washout military drama Basic is aptly titled. If any excessive and repetitive spotty military drama is in need of an instant court martial proceeding, then this lumbering and clumsy account needs to be taking into serious consideration.
03/30/03
Click to read the article
03/30/03
Latest News for Basic
August 26, 2005:
Sevigny Joins Gyllenhaal in Fincher's "Zodiac"
Variety reports that Chloe Sevigny has joined Jake Gyllenhaal in David Fincher's fact-based serial killer thriller "Zodiac." More...
June 09, 2005:
Trailer Bulletin: Rent
AOL Moviefone delivers the very first look at the all-new trailer for "Rent." Based on the overwhelmingly popular Broadway musical of the same name, "Rent"... More...
RT On Current TV
What’s Hot On RT
Fresh Links
Featured
Best Dozen of the Decade 
Last week, MSN gave us their top 09 films. Now see what their favorites of the decade are!
Top 50 of 2009
Here's a list of the 50 best movies of 2009, according to the good people over at Moviefone.
Santa's Naughty List
Hollywood.com takes a stab at determining who in movies will be on Santa's naughty list in 2009.
Top 10 Movies of 2009
TIME chimes in with their own list of the best films released this year.
Top 20 of the Decade
Click through to see which movies BuzzSugar placed in their Best-of-Decade list!
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!
RSS Feeds