Better Late Then Never

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

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.

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.

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

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?!]