At this movie Tim Abell really shows what his character really is - Psycho! (A very nice play) A good movie , about drug dillers and a lot of military action against them, solo action , four/five man against a hole drug dillers. A little non-realistic, but over and all a nice , action pack film! See it if you like military movies.
26 Reviews
Cheap action fest with flourishes of Commando-style violence
Leofwine_draca16 October 2015
Warning: Spoilers
This typical, clichéd straight-to-video thriller has one of those standard conspiracy plots involving some army soldiers who also happen to be drug dealers in their spare time. Don't be fooled, as this isn't really an action film, with only a couple of real action sequences occurring during the running time. Instead, it's an average thriller, redeemed by some nice directorial touches from Mark Lester, a taut atmosphere and a truly menacing/sadistic psychopath as the main bad guy.
Things start off pretty poorly with a cheap-looking truck explosion and some really bad acting. Things continue this way for most of the film, but about halfway through I realised that I was actually enjoying it. It may not be the most original or intelligent of films, but the plot is passable and the low budget is used to maximum effect, with plenty of big explosions and stylised fight scenes. Mark Dacascos is, it has to be said, wooden in the lead role, but he's quite likable and charismatic too. Definitely an acquired taste though. Abell is actually very good in his villainous role, and he is put across as a real human being, sometimes likable, very human too. At other times he just likes banging people's heads into tables and breaking necks, but there you go. A particularly nasty piece of work. Coffin is hilarious as the base's general, complete with ranting dialogue and dodgy toupee.
The action, when it comes, is extremely violent, surprisingly so in fact. There's a brutal bout of martial arts fighting where skulls crack and bone-breaking blows are delivered home, extremely loudly. The finale slips into predictable territory as Dacascos takes on the four main bad guys, and in one notable moment shoots one at point-black range repeatedly through the stomach, ugh! Basically everybody gets what's coming to them, but not before the chief creep has gone mad with an axe and indulged in some misogynistic woman-beating. His death is fun and deserved, although ripped from both COMMANDO and DOUBLE IMPACT. Sure, this film isn't particularly great or inspired, but it's fun enough if you can't find anything else around.
Things start off pretty poorly with a cheap-looking truck explosion and some really bad acting. Things continue this way for most of the film, but about halfway through I realised that I was actually enjoying it. It may not be the most original or intelligent of films, but the plot is passable and the low budget is used to maximum effect, with plenty of big explosions and stylised fight scenes. Mark Dacascos is, it has to be said, wooden in the lead role, but he's quite likable and charismatic too. Definitely an acquired taste though. Abell is actually very good in his villainous role, and he is put across as a real human being, sometimes likable, very human too. At other times he just likes banging people's heads into tables and breaking necks, but there you go. A particularly nasty piece of work. Coffin is hilarious as the base's general, complete with ranting dialogue and dodgy toupee.
The action, when it comes, is extremely violent, surprisingly so in fact. There's a brutal bout of martial arts fighting where skulls crack and bone-breaking blows are delivered home, extremely loudly. The finale slips into predictable territory as Dacascos takes on the four main bad guys, and in one notable moment shoots one at point-black range repeatedly through the stomach, ugh! Basically everybody gets what's coming to them, but not before the chief creep has gone mad with an axe and indulged in some misogynistic woman-beating. His death is fun and deserved, although ripped from both COMMANDO and DOUBLE IMPACT. Sure, this film isn't particularly great or inspired, but it's fun enough if you can't find anything else around.
"Time to lock, cock, and ready to rock"
The_Phantom_Projectionist30 June 2015
THE BASE is from a period in Mark Dacascos's filmography regularly highlighted by decent stories, good production values, and limited action, and this one exemplifies all of these qualities. It's a mildly exciting action-thriller with some highlights in its script, and it manages to secure a high rating by avoiding many direct-to-video snafus and pitfalls. Nevertheless, it's a little dull and not quite the ideal Dacascos vehicle.
The story: An Army Major (Dacascos) goes undercover to investigate a drug trafficking ring led by a dangerous Sergeant (Tim Abell).
Much of the film's overall quality seems to be attributable to director Mark Lester, who to this day remains on the same downward slide from his heyday of directing COMMANDO but nevertheless injects invaluable energy into the picture - making the most of what would otherwise have been a much more run-of-the-mill outing with a low budget. The script has some basic shortcomings, including the thankless and clichéd role it renders Paula Trickey, but I was pleased with the surprising depth that Tim Abell's character is granted. Abell pulls it off fairly well, doing a good job of playing a manipulator and appearing absolutely authentic as a military man.
Dacascos is on less even ground: he tends to play awkward villains to begin with, and does no better in playing a hero pretending to be a villain. Nevertheless, he's in good form when it comes to the action. I wish that there were more than three fistfights, a handful of shootouts, and a couple explosions, but by and large, this stuff is serviceable. Mark throws a lot of spinning kicks and at times appears to be channeling his rarely-utilized capoeira training. I particularly enjoyed the first brawl, wherein Dacascos takes on Darcas Macopson in a surprisingly dirty kendo duel. The finale between Mark and Tim Abell is yards better than anything they got up to in INSTINCT TO KILL.
If there's one major flaw to the movie, it's that it does not take any chances. The filmmakers may have been trying to replicate the big-budget experience for the small screen, though they would arguably have been much better served producing a movie less homogenized and predictable, as is allowed by the DTV medium. Nevertheless, if you're a viewer who complains about the failings of B-movies, then the solid, conventional route this one takes will probably be considered a plus factor. Dacascos fans are encouraged to check it out.
The story: An Army Major (Dacascos) goes undercover to investigate a drug trafficking ring led by a dangerous Sergeant (Tim Abell).
Much of the film's overall quality seems to be attributable to director Mark Lester, who to this day remains on the same downward slide from his heyday of directing COMMANDO but nevertheless injects invaluable energy into the picture - making the most of what would otherwise have been a much more run-of-the-mill outing with a low budget. The script has some basic shortcomings, including the thankless and clichéd role it renders Paula Trickey, but I was pleased with the surprising depth that Tim Abell's character is granted. Abell pulls it off fairly well, doing a good job of playing a manipulator and appearing absolutely authentic as a military man.
Dacascos is on less even ground: he tends to play awkward villains to begin with, and does no better in playing a hero pretending to be a villain. Nevertheless, he's in good form when it comes to the action. I wish that there were more than three fistfights, a handful of shootouts, and a couple explosions, but by and large, this stuff is serviceable. Mark throws a lot of spinning kicks and at times appears to be channeling his rarely-utilized capoeira training. I particularly enjoyed the first brawl, wherein Dacascos takes on Darcas Macopson in a surprisingly dirty kendo duel. The finale between Mark and Tim Abell is yards better than anything they got up to in INSTINCT TO KILL.
If there's one major flaw to the movie, it's that it does not take any chances. The filmmakers may have been trying to replicate the big-budget experience for the small screen, though they would arguably have been much better served producing a movie less homogenized and predictable, as is allowed by the DTV medium. Nevertheless, if you're a viewer who complains about the failings of B-movies, then the solid, conventional route this one takes will probably be considered a plus factor. Dacascos fans are encouraged to check it out.
passable B action flick
Bob73 October 1999
If you like action and don't set your sights too high, you won't mind this one. It's nowhere near a Rambo or Arny flick, but it's way better than "Knock Off" with Van Dumb or "Soldier of Fortune Inc" that came out lately. The plot is adequate, the action moves along ok, there's lots of weapons and hand fighting, even a tank to chase the hero down. And the babe stays out of the way most of the time, and doesn't scream or cry thank gawd. What more can ya ask. -Bob
Not even cheesy in a funny way, just really, really, really BAD...
Funky A22 August 2000
The Base had no potential. Mark L. Lester, the man behind Commando, directing the Jean-Claude Van Dammne substitute Mark Decascos in a straight-to-video movie. Wait, it had potential. It had the potential to be one of those "so bad it's funny" movies, but it can't even be funny. This movie is really BAD. The story is predictable to the point where you can guess what's the next line. As for the acting, let's get one thing straight: Mark Decascos can't act! He is not an actor, and he will never be. He is a Jean-Claude Van Dammne for people who can't pay Jean-Claude Van Dammne, and Van Dammne is bad so a bad Van Dammne is very bad. And the rest of the cast doesn't help. Frederick Coffin is incredibly bad as General Becker. This movie is just so full of stereotypes, you can't count them... And just to get a little nudity to get more people to rent this piece of crap, they add a few scenes in a topless dancers bar. This is really low... The action sequences are extremely dull. But they are almost entertaining after you see the dialogues between Dacascos and other characters. Avoid it at all cost even if you are looking for a cheesy movie to laugh at because this is so bad, it is freaky, not funny...
15%
15%
Better Than I Expected
Theo Robertson6 October 2003
A squad of soldiers start up their own enterprise by starting up a drug smuggling business and it`s up to an undercover soldier to bring the criminals to justice
The above premise is another reworking of a film noir plot about a cop infiltrating a criminal gang ala WHITE HEAT . There is a major mistake in having the story set against a military background and many other reviewers have noticed it - How can soldiers spend so much time unsupervised by higher command be able to run a successful drugs op ? Is this credible ? What isn`t credible is the fact the bad guys can use their army weapons to blow away their rivals . I`d have thought that they`d have to sign out for their weapons and account for every round of ammo used ? Is Col David Hackworth correct with his criticisms at how the American military is run ?
Still THE BASE isn`t as nearly as bad as I expected for a made for video release ( The TV page of the newspaper gave it one star out of four which is the lowest possible rating ) , it`s by no means a great thriller but considering the cast are composed of people I`ve never heard of they do a fairly good job and the screenplay could have been a whole lot worse despite moments of dumbness . Compare THE BASE to other made for video releases like RANGERS and you`ll realise it`s not all that bad
The above premise is another reworking of a film noir plot about a cop infiltrating a criminal gang ala WHITE HEAT . There is a major mistake in having the story set against a military background and many other reviewers have noticed it - How can soldiers spend so much time unsupervised by higher command be able to run a successful drugs op ? Is this credible ? What isn`t credible is the fact the bad guys can use their army weapons to blow away their rivals . I`d have thought that they`d have to sign out for their weapons and account for every round of ammo used ? Is Col David Hackworth correct with his criticisms at how the American military is run ?
Still THE BASE isn`t as nearly as bad as I expected for a made for video release ( The TV page of the newspaper gave it one star out of four which is the lowest possible rating ) , it`s by no means a great thriller but considering the cast are composed of people I`ve never heard of they do a fairly good job and the screenplay could have been a whole lot worse despite moments of dumbness . Compare THE BASE to other made for video releases like RANGERS and you`ll realise it`s not all that bad
Playing in the Snow
refinedsugar21 August 2023
'The Base' is your typical dtv actioner with a familiar face or two, a capable b-movie director and so many moments requiring the suspension of disbelief that you could run a train thru it. The action sequences are light however decent keeping with its budget, but fans of Dacascos want to keep their expectations low.
Major John Murphy (Mark Dacascos) is tasked with retrieving a Mexican cartel boss, but of course the exchange goes south. Given new orders he's now to go undercover infiltrating a local military base where the Sergeant (Tim Abell) and his unit is suspected of being dirty mixed up in the dope game.
Liking Dacascos is ultimately why I gave this a chance and he comes off decently getting to shoot his share of guns and engage in fisticuffs showcasing his martial arts ability. Tim Abell is the type of character actor who can play male leads in T&A flicks, psychos in thrillers or the bad guy in an action film like here as Sgt. Gammon and does so with ease although his character is fairly one note.
For 2/3's of its runtime, 'The Base' is serviceable even if the story and it's execution is weak. There's nary an ounce of believability here especially by the point a tank comes into play, but director Mark L. Lester keeps things chugging along. Things fall on a cliff at the end though and there's an unnecessary female character which cues a predictable romance. Flicks of this type where a dime a dozen once upon a day at your local video store and if you see enough of the lower quality examples they have a habit of blending together somewhat.
Major John Murphy (Mark Dacascos) is tasked with retrieving a Mexican cartel boss, but of course the exchange goes south. Given new orders he's now to go undercover infiltrating a local military base where the Sergeant (Tim Abell) and his unit is suspected of being dirty mixed up in the dope game.
Liking Dacascos is ultimately why I gave this a chance and he comes off decently getting to shoot his share of guns and engage in fisticuffs showcasing his martial arts ability. Tim Abell is the type of character actor who can play male leads in T&A flicks, psychos in thrillers or the bad guy in an action film like here as Sgt. Gammon and does so with ease although his character is fairly one note.
For 2/3's of its runtime, 'The Base' is serviceable even if the story and it's execution is weak. There's nary an ounce of believability here especially by the point a tank comes into play, but director Mark L. Lester keeps things chugging along. Things fall on a cliff at the end though and there's an unnecessary female character which cues a predictable romance. Flicks of this type where a dime a dozen once upon a day at your local video store and if you see enough of the lower quality examples they have a habit of blending together somewhat.
Hold the cheese, please
Mitch-3826 May 2000
Grade C knock off of Grade B action junk (think Van Damme and Olivier Gruner) about US military corruption on US/Mexico border. From the onset, you know not to expect SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, but to be honest, I expected something more serious than GOMER PYLE.
If you see life through stereotypes, enjoy predictable plots and are easily entertained, this is for you. For those that were in the US Army, you can entertain yourself through the tedium by playing "spot the mistakes."
Not awful, just not well made. Think twice about putting money out for a rental.
If you see life through stereotypes, enjoy predictable plots and are easily entertained, this is for you. For those that were in the US Army, you can entertain yourself through the tedium by playing "spot the mistakes."
Not awful, just not well made. Think twice about putting money out for a rental.
What came first, the chicken or the egg?!?
allan_vejrsoe13 May 2001
I like the title, the story and the settings. But the action... Phew, that sucks! In it's action scenes nothing is new or haven't been done and seen before. At first glance it seemed to be a fine action movie, but after a while, I thought I was watching an old action movie from the '80!
Why do I say that? Well for one, the good guy isn't the perfect good guy. He shoots and kills others, but only bad guys who had it comming! Next, he beats up a guy twice his size who even has a rifle pointing his way! And if this isn't enough, he finishes everything off by stabbing a guy in the heart with a metal pipe, jams this pipe into an electric box and doesn't let go off the pipe until the poor bad guy has been grilling for a second or two! Talk about a real hero!!!!
So then, what came first. The bad idea to make this movie or Commando, Rambo (any of them), any Van Damme movie and so on, and so on, and so on.....
Why do I say that? Well for one, the good guy isn't the perfect good guy. He shoots and kills others, but only bad guys who had it comming! Next, he beats up a guy twice his size who even has a rifle pointing his way! And if this isn't enough, he finishes everything off by stabbing a guy in the heart with a metal pipe, jams this pipe into an electric box and doesn't let go off the pipe until the poor bad guy has been grilling for a second or two! Talk about a real hero!!!!
So then, what came first. The bad idea to make this movie or Commando, Rambo (any of them), any Van Damme movie and so on, and so on, and so on.....
domestic enemies
derime24 August 2002
This is a highly entertaining cat-and-mouse movie between Mark Dacascos and Tim Abell. Dacascos is sent into a military base to do undercover search concerning drug traffic. It seems some soldiers are not playing by the book... Enjoyable performances from both Dacascos and Abell, particularly the latter.
What did you expect?
fox_muldur3 March 2001
There are many idiotic comments from people here who obviously expect a Titanic type movie from a movie that was made for video only. What the heck did you expect? A high class movie with second to none visual effects? Considering this is a low budget film that was NEVER advertised it was a very good film.
Personally I though the acting by Mark Decascos was pretty good- not top notch but B-rating. A few of the supporting actors showed talent although the character Lieutenant Kelly Andrews (Paula Trickey) was played terribly.
True there are also countless sterotypes about the military and drug dealers, but it did make the movie seem more cool than real life (yea! let's watch them run a 5 mile PT). The plot also became very predictable towards the end, but at least the action is a bunch of CGI unrealistic Cr*p. I'm not sure how many mistake there were about the uniforms for the army because I wasn't watching that closely but obviously most of the commenters (if any) have never been to a military base. Yes you can drive up to a military base on a motorcyle and in blue jeans (of course you have to have your military ID), all the MP or security forces person will care about is if you have a little sticker on your car which says the base name etc.
What was fake was when the tank chase occured and nobody, NOBODY did anything even though moments ago Mark Decascos had just shot the base commander.
Overall this a good movie and does not deserve it's 4 or so rating from viewers who wanted a high budget film. I give it *** and a 1/2 out of *****, it is worth the money to watch and a little bit more
Personally I though the acting by Mark Decascos was pretty good- not top notch but B-rating. A few of the supporting actors showed talent although the character Lieutenant Kelly Andrews (Paula Trickey) was played terribly.
True there are also countless sterotypes about the military and drug dealers, but it did make the movie seem more cool than real life (yea! let's watch them run a 5 mile PT). The plot also became very predictable towards the end, but at least the action is a bunch of CGI unrealistic Cr*p. I'm not sure how many mistake there were about the uniforms for the army because I wasn't watching that closely but obviously most of the commenters (if any) have never been to a military base. Yes you can drive up to a military base on a motorcyle and in blue jeans (of course you have to have your military ID), all the MP or security forces person will care about is if you have a little sticker on your car which says the base name etc.
What was fake was when the tank chase occured and nobody, NOBODY did anything even though moments ago Mark Decascos had just shot the base commander.
Overall this a good movie and does not deserve it's 4 or so rating from viewers who wanted a high budget film. I give it *** and a 1/2 out of *****, it is worth the money to watch and a little bit more
"Drug dealers, desperadoes or general scumbags"
hwg1957-102-26570420 March 2021
Warning: Spoilers
A team of soldiers on the Mexican border accept money for letting drug smugglers through but decide to trade up and become drug suppliers themselves. Planted in them however is an undercover agent and soon things begin to unravel leading to death and destruction. It's a routine story but does have some good action sequences and some tense moments.
The agent John Dalton is played by Mark Dacascos and the main villain Sgt. Gammon is portrayed by Tim Abell and the film is worth watching because of them. Their scenes together are the best in the movie, well acted giving their characters depth. The rest of the cast are adequate.
The agent John Dalton is played by Mark Dacascos and the main villain Sgt. Gammon is portrayed by Tim Abell and the film is worth watching because of them. Their scenes together are the best in the movie, well acted giving their characters depth. The rest of the cast are adequate.
Oh. look, another bunch of film makers giving Dacascos everything to do, but fight :(
tamp20 August 1999
Just go rent "Drive" again okay? The few fight scenes contained in the film look like they've been thrown together. Photographer Jacques Haitkin & director Mark Lester just don't have a clue. I really expected a half decent film here & was left very disappointed.
3 out of 10
3 out of 10
A good movie
gv_creed13 February 1999
The movie shows how an army base can be turned out to be not such a respectable place to be for soldiers. A senior army officer who leads a group of young men into drug trafficking. The plot is okay. Clear & logical. Fighting scenes causes blood to spill. Explosive action. The crew did well to impress me. A great job done.
*1/2 OF FIVE
bronsonskull7217 July 2003
Mark Dacascos stars as Murphy a soldier who infiltrates a group of corrupt officers who deal in weapons, and singlehandedly wipes them out in this brain dead Rambo clone. The Base is just lethargic and the movie is drained of any excitement it should no doubt posess. Mark Dacascos kicks a lot of bad guys but the routine plot as well as unexciting actionscenes make this a pedestrian effort at best.
All the pieces of a good action, put together to the worst thing ever made.
Skamuel1 August 1999
This film really stunk. I almost laughed my head of at all the clichees. John comes to the base wearing a bomber jacket and riding a motorcycle. Anyone's getting any Top Gun vibes? This film was REALLY bad. Avoid it. Or die of laughter.
Solid action all the way around.
tarbosh220008 March 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Maj. John Murphy (Dacascos) is a U.S. Army Investigator, and his higher-ups have assigned him a new and highly dangerous mission: go undercover and see what's going on with Sgt. Gammon (Abell) and his small cadre of close personal followers. Gammon is suspected of drug-running, money-stealing, and perhaps even murder. Murphy is to track his every move, and report his findings to Lt. Kelly Andrews (Trickey). So Murphy shows up at THE BASE and, under the name of Cpl. Dalton, ingratiates himself into the group, and becomes one of the guys. But Gammon is very wily, and he may suspect something is afoot that could derail his evil operations. Murphy/Dalton is going to have to use every tactic he knows to defeat Gammon and his men - will he survive THE BASE? The Base has some good and worthwhile moments, and director Lester certainly knows how to stretch a low budget to get the maximum result from it. While the movie as a whole doesn't feel all that substantial, there are plenty of blow-ups, gun-shooting scenes, and some fights along the way to liven things up. There's even a tank/Jeep chase - how often do you see that? Plus, Dacascos is likable and clearly competent in the fight scenes. It makes sense that the fights are movie highlights when you see that the great James Lew was the fight coordinator (unfortunately, he doesn't appear in the film). Plus, this may be Tim Abell's best work to date. He really inhabits his character and is a solid baddie. And their hideout even has a pinball machine! Pretty sweet.
By 1999, the classic era of DTV/action movies was over. Yet that didn't stop Lester from directing a sequel to The Base, The Base 2: Guilty As Charged (2000) the next year. Presumably, enough people rented The Base at their local video store to warrant this happening. It seems kind of hard to justify, but there it is. Even Dacascos was replaced by Antonio Sabato Jr. You don't even have to watch the two movies back-to-back - just within the same general timeframe - and you will notice many similarities, the most glaring of which is the scene where Dacascos/Sabato shows up at the base and gets into a brawl on the training ground. 'Sure, it depletes brain cells - let's do it again!' seems to be the overriding thought process there.
So a lot of people get shot, stuff blows up, and people get beat up. Those are the highlights, and some stuff happens in between those scenes that you won't remember. The Base is far from bad, but it lacks that extra dimension to put it over the top into being solidly good all the way around.
By 1999, the classic era of DTV/action movies was over. Yet that didn't stop Lester from directing a sequel to The Base, The Base 2: Guilty As Charged (2000) the next year. Presumably, enough people rented The Base at their local video store to warrant this happening. It seems kind of hard to justify, but there it is. Even Dacascos was replaced by Antonio Sabato Jr. You don't even have to watch the two movies back-to-back - just within the same general timeframe - and you will notice many similarities, the most glaring of which is the scene where Dacascos/Sabato shows up at the base and gets into a brawl on the training ground. 'Sure, it depletes brain cells - let's do it again!' seems to be the overriding thought process there.
So a lot of people get shot, stuff blows up, and people get beat up. Those are the highlights, and some stuff happens in between those scenes that you won't remember. The Base is far from bad, but it lacks that extra dimension to put it over the top into being solidly good all the way around.
A very well done action packed movie!!
Jungle Fox18 July 2001
This is by far my favorite action movie that never made it in theatres. I give it a two thumbs up! It is filled with non-stop action. There are many weapons. It has a very good story line and is very exciting. Very good acting too. The Base 2 recently was released and that was a very good movie also.
An agreeable way to kill 98 minutes.
Hey_Sweden29 June 2020
Warning: Spoilers
The amiable and athletic Mark Dacascos here plays an Army officer named John Murphy. After the attempted extradition of a notorious Mexican drug lord, Murphy is informed as to which crooked members of the military would benefit most. The man identified is a screw-loose sergeant named Michael Gammon (Tim Abell), who's itching to make a name for himself in the drug business. Murphy goes undercover to infiltrate Gammons' tight-knit unit, including Henderson (Christian Bocher), Knox (Darcas Macopson), and Castellano (Noah Blake).
At the very least, this capably paced and directed action-thriller showed that industry veteran Mark L. Lester ("Class of 1984", "Firestarter", "Commando") still had what it takes to deliver undemanding thrills. And make no mistake: the script is quite routine and predictable. (Gee, do you think the bad guy will kidnap our hero's girl (Paula Trickey) at one point?) But don't watch this one for the story. Watch it for the generous amount of gunfire and explosions, which should maintain interest for genre fans who aren't too hard to entertain.
The acting is better than what you might ordinarily see in such a B flick. You have some familiar character actors (Madison Mason, Frederick Coffin, Marco Rodriguez) in supporting roles, and Macascos and Trickey are certainly attractive. (Naturally, there's a brief sex scene in the latter half of the picture.) The main performer to watch is Abell, who's actually quite solid as a greedy and conniving character. You may not like the character at all, but the man does have a commanding presence.
While HARDLY a realistic movie, "The Base" pulls out all the stops for a hilarious, over the top chase finale with the baddies pursuing Murphy in a tank!
Six out of 10.
At the very least, this capably paced and directed action-thriller showed that industry veteran Mark L. Lester ("Class of 1984", "Firestarter", "Commando") still had what it takes to deliver undemanding thrills. And make no mistake: the script is quite routine and predictable. (Gee, do you think the bad guy will kidnap our hero's girl (Paula Trickey) at one point?) But don't watch this one for the story. Watch it for the generous amount of gunfire and explosions, which should maintain interest for genre fans who aren't too hard to entertain.
The acting is better than what you might ordinarily see in such a B flick. You have some familiar character actors (Madison Mason, Frederick Coffin, Marco Rodriguez) in supporting roles, and Macascos and Trickey are certainly attractive. (Naturally, there's a brief sex scene in the latter half of the picture.) The main performer to watch is Abell, who's actually quite solid as a greedy and conniving character. You may not like the character at all, but the man does have a commanding presence.
While HARDLY a realistic movie, "The Base" pulls out all the stops for a hilarious, over the top chase finale with the baddies pursuing Murphy in a tank!
Six out of 10.
Watchable, if you can stand the improbabilities
blackisbeauty5 May 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Watchable if you have nothing better to do with your time, and don't expect too much out of it. But definitely not memorable. The bad-guy Sarge was acted well enough. And I agree with several other commentators that the tank scene near the end was truly ridiculous. Soldiers just walking about as if nothing's happened or happening, even with cars and buildings on fire and sirens blaring in the background! And how do you gatecrash a crowded military base in broad daylight, drive all the way up to the main building, walk right in and shoot the general in his own office (after having a conversation with him), walk back out of the building, jump into your jeep and drive off...while everyone is just standing around aimlessly. Totally phoney.
A good movie, although a bit fake
enaz15 October 1999
The actions scenes were extradonairly good. The gun fights and tactics were also fairly accurate. Although I found some parts fake, i.e. when he drove up to the army base in a bomber jacket and blue jeans. I also noticed that in one scene, even though there was a tank chase, the people in the base just walked around like normal, even if the tank was feet away. The casting was fairly well done, and I got the sense that, for a low budget film, this movie was very good in military, civilian, and all other aspects.
Reasonable plot but poor action
bob the moo7 December 2001
Military Intelligence Officer, Major Murphy is assigned to go undercover on a military base to expose a drug smuggling ring which is run by a group of soldiers and a senior officer. Murphy goes undercover and attempts to infiltrate the group as they begin to move in on the existing dealers.
The plot behind this is pretty weak - a group of soldiers are running round killing drug dealers and running drugs themselves, and they don't raise any major suspicions outside of the base and some military intelligence officers. Surely the police or someone would have picked up on this without having to start an internal covert op to get any evidence. Outside of that it's so-so but don't bring your brain.
The plot doesn't allow that much action. Sure there's plenty of shootouts with drug dealers but Dacascos doesn't have too many opportunities to do his martial arts stuff. There's a fight when he first enters the base and there's the final fight at the end, but other than that it relies on the plot to drive it. Unfortunately even the shoot outs aren't great and the film doesn't totally deliver on the action.
What is good is the two main performances and the sense of drama. Dacascos is good, but he's a little too pretty to be believable, and too much is made of how good he looks on a motorbike. Although he does give a good performance because he's got the looks and talent of someone who should be a bigger star. Tim Abeck is really good as the corrupt Sergeant Gammon, he brings a great sense of military meanness to the role and is believable psychotic. Unfortunately all the gangsters are played by Espanic stereotypes and the military base constantly has groups of soldiers running around in groups (until there's a gun battle then the base is strangely deserted!).
Unusually for a Dacascos flick this is low on martial arts action and has good performances from the leads, but really this isn't any better than the usual straight to video stuff that Dacascos does.
The plot behind this is pretty weak - a group of soldiers are running round killing drug dealers and running drugs themselves, and they don't raise any major suspicions outside of the base and some military intelligence officers. Surely the police or someone would have picked up on this without having to start an internal covert op to get any evidence. Outside of that it's so-so but don't bring your brain.
The plot doesn't allow that much action. Sure there's plenty of shootouts with drug dealers but Dacascos doesn't have too many opportunities to do his martial arts stuff. There's a fight when he first enters the base and there's the final fight at the end, but other than that it relies on the plot to drive it. Unfortunately even the shoot outs aren't great and the film doesn't totally deliver on the action.
What is good is the two main performances and the sense of drama. Dacascos is good, but he's a little too pretty to be believable, and too much is made of how good he looks on a motorbike. Although he does give a good performance because he's got the looks and talent of someone who should be a bigger star. Tim Abeck is really good as the corrupt Sergeant Gammon, he brings a great sense of military meanness to the role and is believable psychotic. Unfortunately all the gangsters are played by Espanic stereotypes and the military base constantly has groups of soldiers running around in groups (until there's a gun battle then the base is strangely deserted!).
Unusually for a Dacascos flick this is low on martial arts action and has good performances from the leads, but really this isn't any better than the usual straight to video stuff that Dacascos does.
Utterly Base-less...
PeoplesBadmash21 September 1999
A futile attempt at making a movie. In other words, the perfect manifestation of how a movie must never EVER be made. EVER.
I've never been a pure action-movie man or a Dacascos fan.. infact, after watching this laborious waste of time & money, I doubt I ever will too!
Take a hint. Let this one go by silently.
Oomph!-meter (from 5): [what?! are you kidding?!]
I've never been a pure action-movie man or a Dacascos fan.. infact, after watching this laborious waste of time & money, I doubt I ever will too!
Take a hint. Let this one go by silently.
Oomph!-meter (from 5): [what?! are you kidding?!]
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