Basic Instinct (1992)
Benjamin Mouton, Bill Cable, Bruce A. Young
When a cop's search for a ruthless killer leads him to wealthy and seductive author, his involvement turns personal, and he must balance their affair with the mounting evidence against her.
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R, 2 hrs. 7 min.
Directed by:
Paul Verhoeven
Release Date: Jan 01, 1992
DVD Release Date: Aug 26, 1997
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Flixster User Reviews
Hey! You know what'll make a movie sell!!! A lot of sex!
Never ever watch this movie, it's awful
Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone both give good performances, and the ending has the appropriate kick to be remembered. It isn't a classic in my opinion, but it's certainly worth seeing.
Sorry. Sharon Stone is gross. And isn't Michael Douglas 65 years old in this one? Hey Ms. Stone, you need to shave & you really weren't that hot then nor now. What a stupid suspense flick... overrated.
I found Basic Instinct absorbing enough I suppose but it didn't strike a chord with me. In other words: the same stuff that I could see would speak quality to other people I found a little distasteful and pointless. Do you like ironic but not very fu... (read more) I found Basic Instinct absorbing enough I suppose but it didn't strike a chord with me. In other words: the same stuff that I could see would speak quality to other people I found a little distasteful and pointless. Do you like ironic but not very funny movies about psychopaths with a little (but not enough) restraint? (The movie May is a slightly similar example that comes to mind.) This is well done but I could take it or leave it.
good movie; the killing scenes were really fake, and I cannot believe the ending.
As I was channel surfing one night I caught this movie at the start of it and it is a very very very good Pyschological thriller!
Nick: What's your new book about?
Catherine: A detective. He falls for the wrong woman.
Nick: What happens to him?
Catherine: She kills him.
I love this film, and hold it up as a shining example of how noir never died. Basic Instinct remains one of ... (read more) Nick: What's your new book about?
Catherine: A detective. He falls for the wrong woman.
Nick: What happens to him?
Catherine: She kills him.
I love this film, and hold it up as a shining example of how noir never died. Basic Instinct remains one of the most revolutionary movies made, even though it mines themes familiar from the '40s up through Hitchcock's career. Nobody associated with the project ever had success mixing a volatile combination of sex and intrigue like this again. Eszterhas and Verhoeven flailed with the erotically inept Showgirls. Sharon Stone went on to make hideous tripe like Sliver, which was neither erotic nor thrilling. Michael Douglas tried to become man bait for another female predator in Disclosure, but Demi Moore (Striptease) couldn't match the menace of Catherine Tramell. Basic Instinct was truly lightning in a bottle, and could never be caught again. Were it to be made today it would have to politically correct, and the sex would be toned down to the detriment of the picture. If any message can be gleaned from Basic Instinct, it's the ridiculous power of women over men. Sharon Stone's character outwits every man in the story, and only the women even vaguely understand her true power. You have a cast that is perfection, and rises above the material at every turn.
Critic Reviews
Verhoeven's cinematic wet dream delivers the goods, especially when Sharon Stone struts on with enough come-on carnality to singe the screen.full review
The film is like a crossword puzzle. It keeps your interest until you solve it. Then it's just a worthless scrap with the spaces filled in.full review
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