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Basic

It's not that "Basic" doesn't make any sense; it's that it tries to make too much sense of too little to begin with. In any event, this hotbed of commonplace thriller antics and acting chops serves to heighten our interest level, only to crush our hopes with a finale that feels strangely lifeless despite an enormous cluster of ongoing plot surprises. When a training ops goes strangely awry in the rainy jungles of Panama, two survivors are left to tell the tale. Problem is, they're not talking, which leads their colonel to call upon the services of old friend and former Ranger Tom Hardy (John Travolta), who teams up with Lieutenant Julia Osborne (Connie Nielsen) to try and make some sense of the two vividly contrasted stories, each centering around the supposed murder of one Sargeant Nathan West (Samuel L. Jackson), known for his tyrannical ways with trainees. ***

The films starts out promisingly enough, riding the waves of the corrupt military subplot until it comes ashore, and then heads back out for more. Seasickness soon sets in once the plot twists keep piling on without any signs of stopping, turning what could have been a provocative case study of the effects of harsh training into something that just feels like a cop-out. James Vanderbilt's screenplay takes an easy way out in the end, while John McTiernan's direction, although much better since his 2002 debacle "Rollerball," fails to make things any more interesting. The cast is in fine form here, especially Travolta, who chews on the dialogue like a piece of tobacco; Nielsen, however, can't hold up her accent, and Jackson's barely in it at all, so those hoping to recapture that Travolta/Jackson teaming from "Pulp Fiction" will be disappointed. Good for a few moments, but when you get right down to it, the title is a more accurate description than some would initially admit.

A pretty good transfer with a few flaws here and there. Measured at 2.40:1, the image benefits from terrific color saturation and reproduction, with hues that are warm and accurate throughout. Contrast is also pretty decent, with some minor lapses in shadow detail, and some noticeable artifacts in some scenes. Edges are sharp but also hampered slightly by enhancement halos, while the source print is in fine shape and bears no blemishes. Basically, it's a keeper. ***

The soundtrack is even more pleasing, though. Mastered in Dolby Digital 5.1, right from the opening InterMedia logo, you know this is going to be one kick-ass audio experience. Half of this film takes place in very inclimate weather- a hurricane, to be exact- so in many scenes we have lots of rainfall and thunder, all of which comes across very nicely through the surround channels and the .1 LFE, which is very powerful throughout. Channel separation is extremely gratifying, and ambiance is top-notch, especially in those aforementioned storm scenes. The track exhibits an aggressiveness that is stunning in places, while dialogue remains audible and natural throughout. A very nice mix!