Basic

Basic has quietly become one of the more dependable crime dramas currently available in the UK on Amazon Prime Video. The runtime earns every minute, with nothing here that feels like padding. A 7/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. John Travolta sets the tone, and the ensemble matches it scene for scene. Available now on Amazon Prime Video — press play and find out why people keep recommending it.

Part of the current wave of titles people are actually watching, Basic earns its spot. The plotting in Basic is tight enough that the twists feel earned rather than assembled. 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. John Travolta and Connie Nielsen lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 2003. What makes Basic hold up is that the resolution matters less than how the characters get there. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

If you cannot walk away from a good mystery, Basic will keep you hooked. It does not lean on comparisons to make its case. The complete film is available and best experienced without too much prior knowledge of where it goes. John Travolta's performance is the kind that shows up on best-of lists years later. If you have been looking for something to fill the gap left by a recently finished story, this is a reliable answer.