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But it is harsh and the instructors are the hardest of hard
men - often taking a sadistic pleasure in cruelty - just to
toughen recruits up.
One such chap is Sergeant Nathan West (Samuel Jackson) who
seems intent on pushing his charges beyond breaking point.
While on a hazardous night mission things go horribly wrong
and so the base commander sends out for an old, but shady
former ranger, who is currently under suspicion for being
a compromised drug agent.
Tom Hardy (John Travolta) is called in, much to the annoyance
of the base provost marshal Captain Osborne (Connie Nielsen),
and proceeds to unravel the mystery behind why so many of
the patrol failed to come back.
There are more twists and turns to Basic than in a
maze, but while the movie keeps your mind racing, it never
let's up on throwing out new possibilities as various witnesses
get interviewed.
Travolta is terrific and has an easy authority that dominates
the screen. Jackson is nastily hateful as the drill sergeant
and Nielsen does well despite spending most of her time on
screen with the star.
The support cast includes a don't-know-whether-to-like-them-or-hate-them
bunch of characters, but all of the actors - including Giovanni
Ribisi - do excellent work in making them suitably intriguing.
The video and audio transfers are first-rate and storms have
rarely sounded this good.
If you like a simple action plot then Basic may not
be for you. However, if you love a mental challenge - and
sorting through a false leads - then it is a really good thriller.
Conclusion: Movie 85% Extras 50%
Continued:
DVD details at a glance >
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