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Basic Instinct (1992)
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Reviews Counted: 41
Fresh: 24
Rotten:17
Average Rating: 5.9/10
Runtime: 2 hrs 30 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: This steamy thriller to end all steamy thrillers stars Michael Douglas as Nick, a boozy San Francisco police detective who finds himself drawn to the prime suspect in a murder case--manipulative, sexually uninhibited novelist... This steamy thriller to end all steamy thrillers stars Michael Douglas as Nick, a boozy San Francisco police detective who finds himself drawn to the prime suspect in a murder case--manipulative, sexually uninhibited novelist Catherine Trammell (Sharon Stone). Catherine's latest book features a murder uncannily similar to the one Nick is investigating, and as the pair engage in a mating dance of dangerous one-upmanship, more murders occur, all described in her current work, about a boozy cop in love with a killer. Nick's psychiatrist (Jeanne Tripplehorn), and cop partner (George Dzundza) are both worried about him, and Catherine's jealous lesbian lover (Leilani Sarelle) may be trying to kill him, but Nick is just too turned on to care. Director Paul Verhoeven shows an admirable lack of restraint in this ludicrously enjoyable thriller, a sort of postmodern noir with Joe Eszterhas's script coming off like Mamet by way of Penthouse. Stone and Douglas exhibit fine chemistry (and most of their bodies), and there's some lovely Bay Area scenery courtesy of cinematographer Jan de Bont (who went on to direct films such as SPEED and TWISTER). Wayne Knight (Newman from SEINFELD) and Mitch Pileggi (Skinner from THE X-FILES) are precinct heads who question Catherine in the infamous leg-crossing scene. [More]
Starring: Michael Douglas, Sharon Stone, George Dzundza, Jeanne Tripplehorn
Starring: Michael Douglas, Sharon Stone, George Dzundza, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Leilani Sarelle, Wayne Knight, Mitch Pileggi
Director: Paul Verhoeven
Director: Paul Verhoeven
Screenwriter: Joe Eszterhas
DVD Info
Release:
Aug 26, 1997
DVD Features:
- Region 1
- Snap Case
- Widescreen - 2.35:1
- Full Frame - 1.33:1
Audio:
- Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround - English
- Dolby Digital Stereo - Spanish
Additional Release Material:
- Production Notes
- Cast and Crew Bios
- Trailer - Theatrical
Interactive Features:
- Interactive Menus
- Scene Access
Reviews for Basic Instinct
Despite (or maybe because of) his obligatory nods to Hitchcock, this is slick and entertaining enough to work as thriller porn, even with two contradictory denouements to its mystery.
The worst things about Basic Instinct, though, are the explicit "love" scenes. They're supposed to contribute to a heady equation in which sex, violence and psychology are fused; instead, they're gratuitous, exploitative, and entirely unerotic.
This erotically charged thriller about the search for an ice-pick murderer in San Francisco rivets attention through its sleek style, attractive cast doing and thinking kinky things, and story, which is as weirdly implausible as it is intensely visceral.
A lurid psychological thriller that's sexy, nasty and a lot of fun...And you were expecting subtlety from a film written by Joe Eszterhas and directed by Paul Verhoeven?
Douglas and Stone are superb, and George Dzundza (as sidekick Gus) delivers another classic hard-boiled cameo.
Can any movie live up to its hype, first about the bidding war over the script ($3 million), then protests by gay activists about the stereotypical portrayal. Despite sleek visuals, this is a hollow erotic suspenser; Hitchcock on a very bad day.
Latest News for Basic Instinct
November 12, 2007:
Paul Verhoeven Directing Thomas Crown Affair Sequel?
Two years after first being announced, the sequel to 1999's Pierce Brosnan-led remake of The Thomas Crown Affair is still in development -- but if you've been impatient to see... More...
April 30, 2007:
Directed By...Sir Paul Verhoeven?
Paul Verhoeven, the Dutch director who brought us such films as "Basic Instinct," "Starship Troopers," and "Showgirls," has reportedly been... More...
March 30, 2006:
Critical Consensus: "Slither" Is Certified Fresh, "Ice Age 2" Is Lukewarm, "ATL" Is Hot, And "Basic 2" Is Very, Very Bad
This week at the movies, we've got a pair of sequels that will appeal to widely disparate demographics ("Ice Age 2: The Meltdown," "Basic Instinct 2"), a... More...
February 15, 2006:
Trailer Bulletin: Basic Instinct 2
We've been hearing about the possibility of a "Basic Instinct" sequel for several years now, and the thing's finally finished with and ready for release. It stars an... More...
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