Basic
Review by Clint Morris
 In
Basic, John Travolta plays Tom Hardy, a ranger-turned
DEA agent, brought back to the army to work on a rather complex
criminal case.
Seems a couple of soldiers are suspected of murdering their
comrades, and he has to find out which ones, and fast - before
he steps on too many shoes.
Quentin Tarantino bought disco-king Travolta back to the
public eye via Pulp Fiction [1994], but ever since
then it's been another swelling jaunt downwards as Travolta
jumps aboard more and more itinerant compost, convinced it'll
be his next hit.
Sure, Face Off, Get Shorty, Michael
and The General's Daughter did do quite well, but the
other ten or so movies he's done since 'Pulp' (Battlefield
Earth anyone?) - and was, mind you, paid near $20 million
dollars for each - have died faster than a sunburnt ant.
Now, I like John as much as the next guy. He's a gentleman
of some calibre, and regardless of his range, is an amiable
and enjoyable presence to watch on screen, in most of the
material he does.
But lately, not even John's personality can make up for the
poppycock he's served up. Especially when you consider the
outlandish amounts he was paid for these efforts.
And the bad news is Basic isn't going to win him any
accolades either...
The first half of it isn't too bad. It doesn't move very
fast, but it's tolerable. It seems to be pretty much a clear-cut
military drama - not unlike Travolta's The Generals Daughter,
in which he played a similar character - working it's way
towards a reasonably effectual outcome.
But in the last act it all goes terribly pear-shaped, as
the filmmakers sink it in plot twist after plot twist, resulting
in a finale that smells as half-baked as it is completely
stupid.
Basic-ally, unless you're an intransigent fan of Johnny
T, or an ardent admirer of some glossy cinematography, you'll
be bored beyond belief at Hollywood's latest addition to the
crap heap. I was.
2 out of 5
Basic
Australian release: Thursday May 29th
Cast: John Travolta, Samuel L.Jackson, Connie Nielsen,
Tim Daly, Giovanni Ribisi.
Director: John McTiernan.
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