A twenty-six year old Claire Forlani might be one of the better reasons to give this film a try. But it's not enough to make you stick with it till the very end. For half way through you may become really challenged, and begging to want to abandon it, if you have not already. Just because it is a period piece, for those partial to them, it's not anywhere near one of better quality. Story-line and acting are just too weak, and it's believed the former detracts from the latter. Except possibly in the one actor's case, for try as I want, I've yet to see her perform with above average ability in any production to date. She's beautiful for sure.. to this day, and most especially here in her late twenties. She makes a great model, as for acting, she's no Jessica Biel.

I give the movie "Basil" a very high 10+. I love time period films and think "Basil" is a wonderful movie. Jared Leto was fantastic in this movie. I love all of his work on the big screen, but I have to say that His portrayal as Basil in my opinion is one of his finest performances. This movie is not boring. It has a wonderful cast, wonderful story line, and the events that unfold, to a good watcher, will unfold from the very beginning. Jared Leto, Christian Slater, and Clair Forlani are just magnificent in this film. It's very tastefully done, and the scenery is beautiful. Proper in it's time, but still society itself was not at all proper. Aristicratic life was very demanding, and to this day, still is. In the end, we are all the same no matter what class we are brought up in. I congratulate the performances in this movie, and I would love to see more movies like "Basil" on the big screen. I highly recommend "Basil" to anyone who loves period films. Thank you.

I thought this movie was a good romantic period piece in the tradition of Dickens. I enjoyed the performances of Slater and Leto, this being the movie that first brought Jared's acting abilities to my attention. Boy, is he ever a star to keep an eye on! I think many reviewers were overly critical of this film and cannot understand why it hasn't been released to video, at least? Any word on that possibility?

I was disappointed in this film. I was hoping for something interesting or remarkable to happen later on, but it really didn't happen. Yet I do give credit for Jared Letto. He did a great job in this film, but the film itself is so boring!