BASIC

US, 2003, 98 minutes, Colour.
John Travolta, Connie Neilson, Samuel L. Jackson, Timothy Daly, Giovanni Ribisi, Brian van Hoult, Taye Diggs, Dash Mihok, Cristian de la Fuente, Roselyn Sanchez, Harry Connick Jnr.
Directed by John Mc Tiernan.

Basic is a military thriller.

The film seems straightforward when John Travolta as a shamed DEA official is called in by the military to investigate what seems to be an army exercise gone wrong. Travolta easily ambles his way through the film – but with some twists at the end. The officer asking him to head the investigation is played by Timothy Daly. He is clashing with the investigative officer because she is a woman. She is played by Connie Neilson. This interplay between men and women continues during the interrogation of the surviving soldiers. The two surviving soldiers are played by Giovanni Ribisi and Brian van Holt. However, a number of the team appear strongly in flashbacks. Samuel L. Jackson is the leader of the army exercise, a strict and hated officer, who may have been murdered during the exercise. Harry Connick Jnr is the doctor at the local hospital – who has become involved with Connie Nielson’s character.

The film is set in Panama, opening with some descriptions of the building of the canal and the effect on the health of those who built it. The film focuses on the present, the prevalence of drug-running and the collaboration of American military and officials in the drug trade.

The film spends a lot of time on interrogation of the two surviving soldiers whose stories are contradictory. They are dramatised visually in a variety of flashbacks – which also contradict each other.

Eventually, an opening is made in the investigation involving the doctor - and ultimately the officer in charge. There is a postscript which contains further twists and an explanation of the reality of what underlay the whole film. To that extent, it is interesting to keep watching.

The film was directed by John Mc Tiernan who made such films as Nomads and Predator and moved on then to Die Hard which had international success. He followed this up with The Hunt for Red October. Other films include Medicine Man, The Last Action Hero, the third Die Hard film as well as the remake of The Thomas Crown Affair.

1. The title? The reference in the film to murder and its being basic?

2. The Panama settings, the opening with the explanation of the Panama Canal and its building, the health hazards? The transition to the present? The climate, the tropics, the rain and the storms? The jungle and military exercises? Panama and the drug trade? American bases in Panama? The visualising of the base – and the weather, the night and the rain? The flashbacks and the storms? The musical score?

3. The focus on Hardy, John Travolta’s screen presence? The information about his being under suspicion, taking bribes, his resentment of this, his drinking and living in exile? The phone call from Stiles? His decision to go down to Panama? His arrival, his meeting Osborne, the tension between the two, her resentment of him as an outside, the male-female clash?

4. Stiles, command of the outpost? Past friendship with Hardy? Calling him in? His attitude towards Osborne? His wanting her to be the investigator with Hardy? His presence on the base, information supplied – the final revelation of the truth, his resentment against not getting promotion, his overseeing the drug trade? His underlings, the investigation, the murders? His wanting to bribe Hardy? His pulling his gun, Osborne shooting him? The cynical attitude towards this kind of American authority figure who became corrupt?

5. The visualising of the exercise, Kendall and Dunbar and their survival, Dunbar carrying Kendall? Dunbar and the investigation, his wanting Hardy? His answering questions? His resistance? Hardy and his bet with Osborne that he could get Dunbar to speak within a few minutes? The discussions about sport? The continued toing and froing, Dunbar as a character, his explanation of his behaviour, attitude towards West, towards Kendall, towards Pike? The visualising of the flashbacks?

6. The contrast with Kendall, his father being in the Chiefs of Staff? His attitude towards the mission, towards West? His speaking about his homosexuality and the repercussions on his career? His being wounded, surviving, Dunbar carrying him out? His version of what happened? His role in the mission? With the other members of the team, with West? His being wounded? The contradictions with Dunbar’s story?

7. The other members of the group, Mueller and his leadership, under suspicion, the issue of grenades? Guns? Pike and his being humiliated by West? The black man? The Hispanic members of the team, Castro, Nunez as a woman within this group? Their characters, as perceived by those telling the stories? The differences in narrating their activities in the mission? The shootings, those guilty, those involved with drugs? The gradual revelations?

8. West, as a martinet, his training, personality, abuse of the members of the tea, his humiliation of Pike? The fact that Hardy had trained under him, talked about hating him? The plausibility of the team killing him? The scenes where he was killed? The scenes where he was set up to die?

9. The gradual process of the interrogation, the interplay between Hardy and Osborne? Her going by the book? Hardy and his differing styles? His explaining the interrogation techniques to her? The build-up to the officials coming in, the weather, the need to get some kind of confession? Dunbar’s confession? Kendall and his injuries, death?

10. The arrival of the authorities, the taking of Dunbar’s confession? Going out to the plane – and Hardy and holding up the plane? The gradually unravelling of the truth – Dunbar and his lies, his really being Pike? He and Kendall and their role in the drug deals, the antagonism of West? Their being arrested?

11. Osborne, her going to New Orleans, following the track of Hardy, suspicious of him? Having shot Stiles, thinking that Hardy was corrupt? Her going through the streets of New Orleans during the carnival, going into the room – and the discovery of the crack team, West, Pike, Dunbar, Castro and Nunez – with West in charge?

12. A satisfying ending, the unravelling of all the twists?