The last time that John Travolta and Samuel Jackosn teamed up it was magic. Pulp Fiction reignited Travolta's sagging career and turned Quentin Tarantino into one of Hollywood's hottest names. Now the two are back for a thriller that truly surprised even yours truly.
Basic is the old school kind of thriller that even Alfred Hitchcock would be proud to tell. The story centers on a military unit in South America that is commanded by Sergeant Nathan West (Samuel L. Jackson). Upon a routine training mission in the jungle, something happens that causes several men to die with only two returning back to base. What happened?
Enter Travolta as Tom Hardy, an ex-Ranger now working for the DEA and stationed in Panama. One of the survivors tells Captain Julia Osborne (Connie Nielsen) that he will not speak a word to her and only tell his story to a fellow Ranger, hence Travolta. Together Osborne and Hardy must piece together between the two survivors exactly what happened. Now the twist. Both of the survivors tell different versions. So who is telling the truth?
I can't tell anymore because to do so would give the rest of the film away. Let's just say that if you figure this plot out without any outside help, that you would probably make a great detective! Basic is a wonderfully original film that truly entertained me.
The Disc:
The film's theatrical aspect ratio of 2.40:1 is presented in anamorphic video and is a very fine transfer from Columbia TriStar as we have come to expect. This is a very dark film since almost all of the action takes place at night. Shadow detail must be very fine to see what's going on and thankfully it is.
As for the audio on the disc you will find great dynamic range. The surround channels are extremely active. Basic features sequences of enveloping rain, gunfire, helicopter flybys and more making for a very aggressive mix.
Goodies on the disc are also well done beginning with John McTiernan's Feature-length, screen-specific director's commentary. As with most director's the commentary tends to be a bit too educational and not enough entertaining.
Next up are a couple of featurettes that should be avoided prior to watching the film. The first is entitled Basic: A Director's Design (22:29), the second featurette is Basic Ingredients: A Writer's Perspective (17:17), both of which are pretty much what their titles describe.
Finally Filmographies are provided for two of the filmmakers and five of the cast along with the usual Trailers section.
bottom line:
A wonderful twist on a well written and acted story. Travolta and Jackson make for a great team that Hollywood should pair together more often. Worth your time and money!
4 out of 5
By - Brian Gray
