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Metascore
34 out of 100

Generally unfavorable - based on 33 Critics What's this?

User Score
3.2 out of 10

Generally unfavorable- based on 32 Ratings

Your Score
10 out of 10
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  • Starring: Connie Nielsen, John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson
  • Summary: When a legendary commander (Jackson) and several of his men turn up missing, the last thing the government wants is a rogue DEA agent (Travolta) investigating the disappearance. As the investigation unfolds, the agent is placed in direct conflict with the Army's official investigating officer (Nielsen) and nothing is as it seems. (Sony)… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 33
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 33
  3. Negative: 15 out of 33
  1. Baltimore Sun
    Reviewed by: Chris Kaltenbach
    75
    Buy your ticket, sit yourself down, and let ol' John take you for a ride. You'll have a blast.
  2. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: Kim Morgan
    58
    Basic essentially is a fun movie, surprise ending and all. To take it too seriously is to miss the point. Travolta is charming, his performance recapturing the old charisma.
  3. Miami Herald
    Reviewed by: Rene Rodriguez
    38
    An overly convoluted, tiresome mystery that exists primarily to antagonize the audience, Basic consists almost entirely of dense exposition, then concludes by laughing at anyone who tried to pay attention.

See all 33 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 28
  3. Negative: 17 out of 28
  1. TimP.
    10
    A clever thriller from start to finish - highly recommended for those who have a decent attention span. A nightmare for those who don't!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  2. DonnieB.
    9
    It is amazing to see how the world is full of sub-intelligent moviewatchers and critics, who find it hard or impossible to understand a more complicated plot then the one of "Lassie". Such people feel insulted by their own weak ability to comprehend anything more complicated than a wooden edge, so in frustration give a 0 for movies that make people think. What would you give for Revolver? A minus 5?? It's a surprisingly good movie, with an excellent script - if you like to think besides chewing popcorn, watch it!… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. kango
    5
    I am the kind of film viewer who has the knack of losing a plot. Very quickly. So when I came to the end of Basic for the first time, thoroughly confused and befuddled, I supposed it was just me and that I needed to get my brain in gear next time. But it wasn't just me and no amount of brain power seems to help sort fact from fiction in this foggy mystery. Travolta and Nielsen play ex-ranger Tom Hardy and Captain Osbourne who are thrown together to investigate the disappearance of Sgt. West (Jackson) in a training exercise. Cue a baffling maze of twists and turns in which some of the key players are there and then not; some are killed off and then not; one turns out to be another...or not? And so on... but you do have to admire Osbourne for sticking it out and unravelling it all at the end. If it was me overseeing this mess, a bottle of wine and a darkened room would be where I was headed. I enjoyed the dark jungle action sequences, Jackson getting mad and the sort of chemistry Travolta and Nielsen had in their roles, but a lot of this was lost in the fog that shrouded much of this film. If like me, you are attracted by the Jackson / Travolta combo, you may be disappointed to find they share about five minutes on screen. Just don't expect to care much about either of their characters by the time it happens.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes

See all 28 User Reviews

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