Regie:
John McTiernanDrehbuch:
James VanderbiltKamera:
Steve MasonMusik:
Klaus BadeltBesetzung:
John Travolta, Connie Nielsen, Samuel L. Jackson, Brian Van Holt, Tim Daly, Giovanni Ribisi, Taye Diggs, Roselyn Sanchez, Dash Mihok, Harry Connick, Jr. (mehr)Streaming (2)
Inhalte(1)
Verhörspezialist Tom Hardy steht in Panama in einer amerikanischen Militärbasis vor dem schwierigsten Fall seiner Karriere. Mit Julia Osborne, Captain der Militärpolizei, soll der Ex-Ranger das Rätsel um den berüchtigten Schleifer Sergeant West lösen, der nach einem Übungseinsatz mit vier seiner Männer spurlos im Regenwald verschwunden ist. Als die Ermittler die beiden vielleicht einzigen Überlebenden des siebenköpfigen Trupps befragen, verschleiern widersprüchliche Aussagen die tragischen Ereignisse. Sind die vermissten Soldaten Opfer des vor kurzem über dem Dschungel wütenden Hurrikans oder eines tödlichen Streits untereinander geworden? (Verleiher-Text)
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This could have been a military crime story with an unremarkable twist. And if the creators wanted to mess up the finale, they could have had two twists. But Basic ends up being anything but for the audience and in the final twenty-minute mess, the motivation of one of the characters changes every three minutes. I didn't care about the ending at all, and Basic leaves the impression of a joke targeting the viewer themselves. If this is supposed to be John McTiernan's farewell to arms, it's quite a crying shame.
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Also ich weiß nicht, was alle gegen diesen Thriller haben, aber es war einer meiner Lieblingsfilme, als ich klein war, und auch heute halte ich ihn für sehr gut. Es hat natürlich seinen eigenen Stil, mit dem es erfolgreich eine interessante Handlung vermittelt, aber ich habe hier nichts wirklich Übertriebenes oder Mangelhaftes gefunden. Außerdem können wir die großartige Besetzung des Pulp Fiction-Duos Travolta/Jackson und vieler anderer genießen. Für mich ist das wirklich ein fesselnder und qualitativ hochwertiger Thriller, der eine viel bessere Bewertung verdient hätte.
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The initial investigation of past events through flashbacks is so boring and uninteresting that it doesn’t draw you into the plot at all and after the first major twist, you don't know which way is north. And you’re only halfway through the movie, with about ten more twists like this still to come, plus one final twist that would put a hole in Keyser Söze’s head. The problem with Basic is that John McTiernan is no Bryan Singer. And predatory action in the rainforest is not a priority in his screenplay. The film is just an unbelievably overwrought and muddled cock-and-bull story that not even the excellent cast can save.
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Basic was supposed to be a comeback for both Johns McTiernan and Travolta. Well, neither of them made it back into the spotlight with this film. But finding the culprit is a little more complicated. The idea of screenwriter James Vanderbilt was not bad at all. The various combinations of one theme - the death of a despised officer - leave ample room for the audience's imagination and contemplation, only to be ultimately shocked by the "twist" at the end. I would like to say that I "swallowed it hook, line, and sinker," but that wasn't the case. No, I really didn't guess the final scene, but I also wasn't given the opportunity to do so. The barrage of flashbacks, where testimonies, events, and even characters change, didn't glue me to my seat. About half an hour before the end, I completely gave up on the whole resolution of the case, and without much interest, I let the film sail to the "end," which, after the whole escapade of making fun of the audience, feels more like a precisely aimed slap in the face than a real "shock." Director McTiernan also doesn’t get away unscathed with a pass saying, "it's all the screenplay's fault." The opening foray into the jungle is so reminiscent of Predator that it brings tears of emotion to weaker souls. McTiernan definitely knows how to handle action, but in this film, there is not enough of it – after all, it is a "detective drama" – and he has never been one for too much blabbing. The characters are introduced quickly, but so briefly that I only realized after the end credits that the only truly standout performance was by Samuel L. Jackson as the leader of the West team because he was a real bastard. I would like to write more about other characters, but how can I write about someone when I don't remember them the day after watching the movie? John Travolta reprised his role from The General's Daughter but this time, he seemed even more tired and overacted quite a bit. When he casually laid his not-so-young body on the table during an interrogation, it made me feel strong discomfort in my stomach. Connie Nielsen seems to be afraid of Travolta and in his presence, she retreats into the background and recites her learned lines without a hint of interest. Basic isn't actually a bad movie, it's just poorly acted and badly and tediously directed. After fixing all these flaws, we’d have a "military investigative drama" that fits perfectly. I’m giving it three stars mainly because I also gave them to West's The General's Daughter, and besides, this film is slightly worse than McTiernan's latest work, which is not a victory for John either. Actually, for neither of them.
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