On B List of Movie Reviews

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Basic (2003)

Rate: 3
Viewed: 1/08

1/08: John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson decide to reteam in Basic after working together in Pulp Fiction.

I don't have a problem with their performances. As a matter of fact, they're great. The film was going well during the first half hour by shaping into a mystery thriller. Another half hour had passed with things getting worse, and I thought to myself, "Who cares?" and decided to take a step back. It proved to be a providential move because tons of plot twists were being thrown at me while going round, round, and round until the end.

It's akin to putting one corner of a paper sheet to the opposite corner to make a loop which turns out to be nothing but garbage. Hence, I gave up early on Basic, prefering to know who did it. The worst is the revelation of the victim's race. That's when the film shot itself in the foot. When the closing screen credits rolled, I didn't realize John McTiernan directed this turkey. Gee whiz, was he that washed up? Then again, he did direct The 13th Warrior, an all-time box-office disaster.

Connie Nielsen, who plays the female investigator with a Mia Farrow haircut, is unconvincing and is therefore miscast. I hate Giovanni Ribisi while everybody else, besides the two lead stars, is more or less mechanical.

All in all, forget John Travolta or Samuel L. Jackson; Basic is a waste of time.

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