Basic
Seen it?2003 | 98 min | Thriller, Crime, Mystery
Weeknight WatchWhy it’s a Weeknight Watch
With just 21% on Rotten Tomatoes and soft box office, it's a mixed bag. Fine if it's on; don't plan your night around it.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for crime fans and anyone who likes to be kept guessing. If you loved In the Line of Fire, start here. Audiences love it more than critics do: a crowd-pleaser first.
- The mood
- Tense, gritty.
- The pace
- Fast-moving, at 1 hr 38 min.
- What might put you off
- Rated R: meant for adults.
- Critics were cooler on it than audiences.
When a hurricane hits a US Army base on the edge of the Panama Canal, an elite covert operations team of US Army Rangers recruits are on a routine jungle training exercise that goes horribly awry. Only two recruits are rescued, one of which is badly injured, but both have different accounts regarding the fate of their leader, legendary and ruthless Army Ranger Drill Sergeant Nathan West, and the rest of their platoon. Tom Hardy, an ex-army Ranger turned maverick DEA agent is brought in to solve the mystery and uncover what really happened out there.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsWeak
21% on Rotten Tomatoes, 34 on Metacritic
- AudiencesSolid
6.5 out of 10
- AwardsNot counted
No major awards or nominations
- Box office & staying powerBelow par
$50 million worldwide on a $50 million budget
- Buzz & cultural impactSolid
About 63K people sought it out in the past year, and interest is climbing
Trailer
More like this
The General's Daughter Weeknight WatchAlso stars John Travolta, in another crime thriller, though it's more of a weeknight watch.
In the Line of Fire
Friday Night FlickAnother critically acclaimed crime thriller.
Sicario: Day of the Soldado
Sunday Safe BetAnother crime thriller, and a safe bet for a quiet night.
Triple Frontier Weeknight WatchAnother crime thriller, though it's more of a weeknight watch.
Eraser Weeknight WatchAnother mystery, though it's more of a weeknight watch.
Want more like this, picked just for you? Get my picks
Cast & crew
Directed by John McTiernan
- John TravoltaDEA Agent Tom Hardy
- Connie NielsenCPT Julie Osborne
- Samuel L. JacksonDrill Sgt. SFC Nathan West
- Tim DalyCOL Bill Styles
- Giovanni Ribisi2LT Levi Kendall
- Brian Van HoltSGT Ray Dunbar
- Taye DiggsPike
- Dash MihokSGT Mueller
- Cristián de la FuenteCastro
- Roselyn SánchezNuñez