Basic Instinct
3/4
Starring: Michael Douglas, Sharon Stone, Jeanne Tripplehorn, George Dzundza
The version being reviewed is the unrated one. For the record, the theatrical cut was rated R for Strong Violence and Sexuality, and for Drug Use and Language
The film opens with a gruesome murder. A man is having a night of rough sex with a beautiful blonde woman. Things get kinkier when she ties his hands up against the bedposts. That's when she grabs an icepick and stabs him in a frenzy. Curran (Douglas) is on the case, and the woman who was with him last night is Catherine Tramell (Stone), a wealthy inheritor and author. Incidentally, she wrote a book about the crime that she is being questioned about. The evidence against her is weak, but Curran believes that she's guilty. He gets close to her to get her to slip up, but he ends up falling for her. And who is the killer, really?
For such a shameless mix of sex and violence, the acting is surprisingly strong; this is not a porno. Michael Douglas gives a solid performance as the obsessed detective, although this is not his best performance. Sharon Stone hit the big time after playing Catherine Tramell, and it's not hard to see why. She's beautiful, intelligent and dangerous. Stone is able to use her eyes, voice and body to become sizzling hot. Douglas and Stone have chemistry, although they don't catch fire. Jeanne Tripplehorn, in her film debut, is very good as Nick's therapist and sometimes lover (she violates some serious ethical boundaries, but this isn't a movie where this sort of thing applies). George Dzundza supplies solid support as Nick's partner and friend Gus.
"Basic Instinct" is an erotic thriller, and few other directors are as brave to show such frank depictions of sexuality in their films than Paul Verhoeven (his next film was "Showgirls," which instead of having the repeat success of this movie bombed majorly and effectively killed any chance of the NC-17 being a marketable rating). The sex is really, really, really hot, and the violence is super gory. Verhoeven knows what kind of movie he's making, and what his audience expects from it. The film had to be submitted to the MPAA to get an R rating, which Verhoeven was prepared for. He shot the sex scene between Sharon Stone and Michael Douglas from dozens of different angles so he could be free to edit it in a number of ways.
Which leads us the the film's most infamous scene: the leg crossing scene. Not much is visible, but as we all know, suggestion is more powerful then actually seeing it. Interestingly enough, there is a bit of controversy between Sharon Stone and Paul Verhoeven. Some sources say that Stone was all for it, while others say that she was betrayed. Either way, it does nothing to diminish the scene's effectiveness. And it helps set up Catherine's character, so it has that going for it too.
As mindblowingly sexy as it is controversial, "Basic Instinct" earns its reputation for being hot as hell and a good thriller (although an imperfect one).
Starring: Michael Douglas, Sharon Stone, Jeanne Tripplehorn, George Dzundza
The version being reviewed is the unrated one. For the record, the theatrical cut was rated R for Strong Violence and Sexuality, and for Drug Use and Language
"See, the problem is that God gives men a brain and a penis, but only enough blood to run one at a time."-Robin WilliamsThat's Detective Nick Curran's problem. He's so infatuated with Catherine Tramell that thinks that he can outsmart a killer who has always been one step ahead.
The film opens with a gruesome murder. A man is having a night of rough sex with a beautiful blonde woman. Things get kinkier when she ties his hands up against the bedposts. That's when she grabs an icepick and stabs him in a frenzy. Curran (Douglas) is on the case, and the woman who was with him last night is Catherine Tramell (Stone), a wealthy inheritor and author. Incidentally, she wrote a book about the crime that she is being questioned about. The evidence against her is weak, but Curran believes that she's guilty. He gets close to her to get her to slip up, but he ends up falling for her. And who is the killer, really?
For such a shameless mix of sex and violence, the acting is surprisingly strong; this is not a porno. Michael Douglas gives a solid performance as the obsessed detective, although this is not his best performance. Sharon Stone hit the big time after playing Catherine Tramell, and it's not hard to see why. She's beautiful, intelligent and dangerous. Stone is able to use her eyes, voice and body to become sizzling hot. Douglas and Stone have chemistry, although they don't catch fire. Jeanne Tripplehorn, in her film debut, is very good as Nick's therapist and sometimes lover (she violates some serious ethical boundaries, but this isn't a movie where this sort of thing applies). George Dzundza supplies solid support as Nick's partner and friend Gus.
"Basic Instinct" is an erotic thriller, and few other directors are as brave to show such frank depictions of sexuality in their films than Paul Verhoeven (his next film was "Showgirls," which instead of having the repeat success of this movie bombed majorly and effectively killed any chance of the NC-17 being a marketable rating). The sex is really, really, really hot, and the violence is super gory. Verhoeven knows what kind of movie he's making, and what his audience expects from it. The film had to be submitted to the MPAA to get an R rating, which Verhoeven was prepared for. He shot the sex scene between Sharon Stone and Michael Douglas from dozens of different angles so he could be free to edit it in a number of ways.
Which leads us the the film's most infamous scene: the leg crossing scene. Not much is visible, but as we all know, suggestion is more powerful then actually seeing it. Interestingly enough, there is a bit of controversy between Sharon Stone and Paul Verhoeven. Some sources say that Stone was all for it, while others say that she was betrayed. Either way, it does nothing to diminish the scene's effectiveness. And it helps set up Catherine's character, so it has that going for it too.
As mindblowingly sexy as it is controversial, "Basic Instinct" earns its reputation for being hot as hell and a good thriller (although an imperfect one).
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