Basic (2003)

Director:

John McTiernan

Writer (WGA):

James Vanderbilt (written by)

Release Date:

28 March 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Deception is their most dangerous weapon.

Plot:

A DEA agent investigates the disappearance of a legendary Army ranger drill sergeant and several of his cadets during a training exercise gone severely awry.

Plot Keywords:

Army | Panama | Shot In The Chest | Covert Operation | Racial Slur

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

John Travolta	...	Hardy
Connie Nielsen	...	Osborne
Samuel L. Jackson	...	West
Tim Daly	...	Styles
Giovanni Ribisi	...	Kendall
Brian Van Holt	...	Dunbar
Taye Diggs	...	Pike
Dash Mihok	...	Mueller
Cristián de la Fuente	...	Castro
Roselyn Sanchez	...	Nunez
Harry Connick Jr.	...	Vilmer
Georgia Hausserman	...	Pilot
Margaret Travolta	...	Nurse #1
Dena Johnston	...	Nurse #2
Nick Loren	...	Helicopter Pilot

Also Known As:

Basic - Hinter jeder Lüge eine Wahrheit (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and language.

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Malaysia:18SG (uncut version) | Malaysia:U (cut version) | Netherlands:12 (TV rating) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba) | Canada:14A (Ontario) (DVD rating) | Canada:AA (Ontario) (original rating) | France:U | Spain:13 | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Brazil:14 | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-15 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Mexico:B15 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:M18 (re-rating) | Singapore:NC-16 (original rating) | South Korea:15 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #39367) | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Costa Rica

Company:

Phoenix Pictures

Trivia:

In order to give Roselyn Sanchez the proper posture, John McTiernan had her wear a 50-pound bag of sand on the front of her belt while at the same time told her to imagine herself as a Las Vegas showgirl.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Ranger Training is conducted by the Ranger Training Brigade, who wear the Fort Benning TRADOC "Follow Me" patch. Sgt. West, their trainer, was wearing a patch from the 193rd Infantry Brigade.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Osbourne: [voiceover] The French tried to build a canal here before the Americans. At the height of their effort, 500 workers were dying every week from malaria and yellow fever. They couldn't come up with cemetery space fast enough, not to mention the morale problem all those crosses would have made...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Basic Ingredients: A Writer's Perspective (2003) (V)

Soundtrack:

Bolero

Fascinating mystery with fine performances!

Man, I can't believe I almost overlooked this because the major film critics panned it. Basic is seriously good and the kind of mystery/suspense story I don't see anywhere near enough of. I enjoyed every minute of this movie. I couldn't figure it out and was surprised at the end. For me, it doesn't get much better in the entertainment department than a movie like Basic. John Travolta does what John Travolta does best, playing a wise guy better than anyone, and Connie Nielsen delivers a great little performance and she's hot to boot. This movie has an amazing number of plot twists and the pacing is quick so try to keep up with it. I loved it!