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Michael Douglas, Sharon Stone, George Dzundza, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Denis Arndt ... see more see more... , Leilani Sarelle , Bruce A. Young , Chelcie Ross , Dorothy Malone , Wayne Knight , Daniel von Bargen , Stephen Tobolowsky , Benjamin Mouton , Peter Appel , Julie RitterLinda Bond , William Duff-Griffin , Bradford English , Mary Pat Gleason , Michael Halton , Juanita Jennings , Michael David Lally , Irene Olga Lopez , Keith Henry McDaniel , Jack McGee , Mitch Pileggi , Eric Poppick , James Rebhorn , David Wells , Bill Cable , Howard Feuer , Byron Berline , Adilah Barnes , Stephen Rowe , Freda Foh Shen

This cold, stylish erotic-thriller grossed over $100 million at the box-office despite vigorous protests at its depiction of gays and women. The shocking opening sequence features a graphic sexual enc... read more read more...ounter involving a rock-star bound with a white Hermes scarf by an unidentified blond woman. Despite the fact that the scene ends with a bloody icepick murder (horrifyingly realized by makeup artist Rob Bottin), Hermes scarves quickly sold out at stores nationwide. This seeming paradox is at the heart of the film's appeal, as it mixes perverse sexuality and erotic bloodshed in a manner common to European thrillers (director Paul Verhoeven had done it himself in 1979's marvelous De Vierde Man) but mostly taboo in America. The plot concerns Catherine Tramell (Sharon Stone), a successful bisexual mystery writer who may also be a ruthless murderer. Everyone close to Catherine dies, and troubled policeman Nick Curran (Michael Douglas) must find out why. In the process, Nick becomes sexually involved with both Catherine and police psychiatrist Beth Gardner (Jeanne Tripplehorn), while the bodies begin piling up and Catherine turns the cat-and-mouse game around on Nick. Verhoeven and screenwriter Joe Eszterhas -- who was paid $3 million for the script -- keep the tension ratcheted up throughout, even during the frequent sex scenes, which carry a violent edge reminiscent of the Italian thrillers of Dario Argento. The film's most notorious scene, a police interrogation in which Catherine makes drooling idiots out of her captors by revealing that she is not wearing underwear, became a cultural touchstone and was widely imitated and parodied. Sharon Stone, meanwhile, was embarrassed to the point that she claimed Verhoeven had aimed lights on strategic locations without her knowledge. George Dzundza and Dorothy Malone co-star. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

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R, 2 hr. 3 min.

Directed by: Paul Verhoeven

Release Date: January 1, 1992

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DVD Release Date: August 26, 1997

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Flixster Reviews (3,838)

  • TheDudeLebowski65
    June 15, 2011
    TheDudeLebowski65
    Paul Verohoeven controversial erotic Thriller is a memorable film about a sexy author accused of killing her lover with an ice pick because she wrote similarities to the murder in one of her books, she is the prime suspect. Sharon Stone plays author Catherine Trammel who is unde... read morer investigation for the murder and Michael Douglas plays Detective Nick Curtan who investigates the murder. Basic Instinct is a mind bending thriller with terrific, thrilling and exhilarating moments. Paul Verhoeven's directing is as usual solid, bold and he keeps the film moving along with each provocative frame. Sharon Stone definitely lights up the screen, and this is one of her best roles. Basic Instinct is a non stop thrill ride from start to finish and it keeps you on the edge of your seat till the very end. Paul Verhoeven has made better films, but Basic Instinct is still an entertaining and well acted film. If you enjoy most of Verhoeven's work, then your most likely going to enjoy this film as well, it's a change of pace for the director, but not one that shy's away from the usual controversy that most of his films get due to their amount of violence.
  • mumby1988
    June 5, 2011
    mumby1988
    Erotic thrillers have never had much by way of credibility. They have a reputation for being cheesy, lurid and sleazy, and are often lumped together with horror movies as the stuff that 'sensible', 'reasonable' citizens wouldn't touch with a twenty-foot pole. But as with horror, ... read moresome erotic thrillers manage to explore interesting, often edgy ideas in amidst the gratuitous sex scenes and clunky dialogue. Basic Instinct is one such film.

    Although the groundwork had been laid by Fatal Attraction, Basic Instinct was the film which brought the erotic thriller into the mainstream. The controversy surrounding its R rating in America and misplaced allegations of homophobia created a whirlwind of publicity, which catapulted Sharon Stone to short-lived stardom and made an entire generation give in to guilty pleasure, if only for a couple of hours.

    In bringing the erotic thriller to the multiplex, there is surprisingly little attempt on the part of anyone to sanitise the content, or make changes that would make the story less cheesy. The opening 20 minutes are pure cheese, as people take their clothes off with abandon, detectives trudge around in dark suits, and Catherine Tramell sashays around delivering every line like it's a turn-on. Joe Eszterhas' script is chock full of absurd one-liners that would have made Greg Dark proud - the best being the detectives' remark that the first victim "got off before he got offed".

    As well as being everything you'd expect from an erotic thriller, Basic Instinct is everything you'd expect from a Paul Verhoeven film - it's sleazy, trashy, cheesy, and quite good fun. Verhoeven was in his commercial prime, having made a splash with Robocop and Total Recall, and had explored sexual crime previously in The 4th Man. Basic Instinct may have opened the floodgates for a wave of worse films, from the Demi Moore vehicle Striptease to William Friedkin's Jade, but outside of its legacy it is a smarter film than has often been assumed.

    As with Total Recall, Basic Instinct begins with a big shock to separate the men from the boys. During the opening credits, with Jerry Goldsmith's eerie soundtrack and the movements in mirrored glass, we see the name of Rob Bottin - the make-up artist who did the effects on Total Recall and The Thing. His presence perplexes us: why would an erotic thriller need its own special effects boffin? Then you see the killer's ice pick go through the face and neck of Johnny Boz, and you sit there frozen to the spot, with no further questions.

    Basic Instinct is a deeply stylised film, which never feels the need to be visually realistic if a creative decision would enhance the mood of a given scene. In the famous interrogation scene, Verhoeven's long-time collaborator Jan de Bont lights the bunker-like room very unusually. Instead of having both parties in equal amounts of light, Catherine Tramell is lit in blinding white light coming from the floor, while the detectives are shrouded in darkness. This gives things a prominent noir feel while conveying the theme of women being in control: the detectives become like voyeurs, wishing to gaze longingly at Catherine without showing too much of their faces.

    This scene brings on to one of the big talking points in Basic Instinct, namely the gratuitous nudity. We know what to expect up to a point: it wouldn't be an erotic thriller without some flesh, and the film is helmed by the man who left teenage boys drooling at the sight of a three-breasted woman from Mars. But even by those standards, the level of sex or nudity is way over-the-top. The film may not be totally exploitative in its treatment or depiction of women, but it does tip over into base titillation in several scenes. The moment where Sharon Stone crosses her legs is pure exploitation: to all those in denial, it's clearly not her thigh showing up on screen!

    Like many attempts to bring something inherently trashy or silly into the mainstream, the story of Basic Instinct is contrived to the point of being ridiculous. The most obvious example of this is the level of intuition which Catherine Tramell possesses: it's one thing being able to guess what someone is going to say, but always being in the same place as the detective is a whole different matter. In its action moments it often gets completely silly, asking us to believe that Michael Douglas could participate in a high-speed chase only seconds after being knocked down by a car.

    It will be clear by now that Basic Instinct is not a film for the faint-hearted, either in its full-on visual style or its blatant disregard for narrative cohesion. But once we have gotten past the sleaze, and the violence, and the smoking, and the swearing, and the silly action scenes, we do begin to see something going on beneath the surface, which turns into that kernel of substance buried deep in the heart of Verhoeven's work.

    All of Verhoeven's films are essentially about questions of identity. In Robocop, how much is Murphy still a man and how much is he a machine? In Total Recall, has Quaid really been to Mars, or is the whole thing an implant? In Basic Instinct, the question revolves around Catherine Tramell and the motivations behind her unusual behaviour. Is she purely and simply the Devil, who taunts men for sport and uses her books to cover up her brutal murders? Or is she someone with a warped mind who is caught up in these events, someone who craves attention but has no desire to kill for it?

    The wanton nature of the character is designed not merely to titillate, but to explore - albeit broadly - the sexual independence of women. Catherine doesn't need men to control her or define her in any way, and her actions are not motivated by a direct Freudian urge, e.g. craving affection to make up for the fact that Daddy showed her none. She treats men and women equally as playthings, taking the dominant role in every relationship.

    This brings us on to the position of gay and lesbian groups, who used the film to attack what they perceived as Hollywood homophobia. The film may be clichéd in its depiction of lesbianism or bisexuality on an aesthetic level - all the lesbians in the film are still dolled-up and attractive enough to make them naturally appealing to men. But Basic Instinct is not homophobic in its view of sexual preference as a lifestyle choice. It maturely chooses not to make an issue of Catherine's sexuality; in other words, who she sleeps with has no direct bearing on whom or why she kills.

    The film borrows heavily from Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo, with Verhoeven restaging certain sections involving the Golden Gate Bridge or the various steep staircases. There is a close parallel between the characters, with Michael Douglas being driven to obsession and Sharon Stone harbouring some kind of self-destructive impulse. One could say this is what a Hitchcock film would have looked like had such levels of sex and violence been acceptable in the 1950s.

    In the end, however, Verhoeven's efforts to keep things totally ambiguous don't quite work as well as in Total Recall. While there are moments in which it is reasonable to believe that Catherine isn't completely insane, the final act in which Beth Garner is 'revealed' as the killer feels too contrived to cut the mustard. Jeanne Tripplehorn's character has been so peripheral up until this point that we never really believe she could have done it, even if all the plot points add up.

    While it never reaches the heights of The 4th Man or Verhoeven's previous Hollywood efforts, Basic Instinct remains an enjoyable thriller which manages to raise a number of intelligent issues even in its most lurid moments. It has more than its share of problems, either relating to its plot or the inherent cheesiness of the erotic thriller genre. But as a guilty pleasure or something a little smarter than you'd think, it demonstrates that, once in a while, embracing trash is not such a bad thing.
  • movieguru12
    December 27, 2010
    movieguru12
    Great action-packed erotic thriller. Michael Douglas & Sharon Stone were great together & I did not expect the ending to this movie either. :) Love this movie. :) It ranks high up in my fave movies! :) I love it soooo much. :) Should be on the Top 250 on IMDB!!! :) I love it!!!!... read more!!!!!! :) Such a great film! :) A true classic! :) Me & my sister love to watch this movie together :) Love it!!! :) You have to watch it!!!!!!!! :) One of my absolute favorites :)
  • FrizzDrop
    November 13, 2010
    FrizzDrop
    Amid the industry pressures of anti-gay sentiment and the sexualized nature of most of the scenes, Basic Instinct is still quite interesting in it's strange view of authenticity that the director is so well known. The mystery of the murdered man isn't quite as prevalent as whethe... read morer the next scene will feature the ethically buoyant Catherine Tramell. Note: Do not watch with parents.
  • CloudStrife84
    September 11, 2010
    CloudStrife84
    Sexy and well-directed thriller, with a radiant cast and incredibly intriguing plotline. Stellar performances by Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone, makes this into one of the most memorable movies of the 90's. If I were to make a metaphor out of it, I'd say it's like beautiful ant... read moreique sword with an unsharpened edge; elegant in its cinematography and settings, but also blunt and graphic and its language and violence. But what else can you expect from a director like Paul Verhoeven. He is, after all, the mastermind behind two of my all-time favourite sci-fi films (namely Starship Troopers and Total Recall). And having also seen this now, it's evident that his brilliance isn't limited to that genre alone.
  • Chiefilms
    July 15, 2010
    Chiefilms
    Verhoeven films are dominated by either sex or violence, usually both. Michael Douglas might be one of Hollywood's biggest horndogs ever, he's always doin' it on camera. Sharon Stone clearly is a hoe but the duo fits this movie perfectly. The plot was intriguing but it bottome... read mored out at the end. I'm surprised this movie didn't get an X rating because I'm pretty sure I saw Michael Douglas' dong, and you know Sharon Stone didn't hide anything.
  • groaningbitch
    April 20, 2010
    groaningbitch
    alfred hitchcock is the very master to redner the concept of cinema as scopophilia, or plainly speaking voyeurism (we peek others' life thru a camera, and the essence of cinema could be a self-righteous pimp of consensual public voyeurism.), in his legendary works like "vertigo,"... read more"rear window" and "psycho"..,particularly in "vertigo," hitchcock trifles with the idea of perverse love thru scopophilia as jimmy stewart falls in love with kim novak during the process of peeping her...later kim novak re-emerges as a brunette to romance stewart but once the hair color and wardrobe change, nothing is the same, the man has to stick to his highly fetishized notion of love by transforming the drak judy into the blonde madeleine even both women are actually the same person. they're the fundamental vertigo formuli. the two modes of the male protagonist would be his eager "demysification" or "decoding" of the enigmatic woman, and his fetishization upon her. surprisingly you would find how hitchcockian basic instinct could actually be before your head gets dizzy over the fever of sharon stone's crotch or annoyed over the highly heated sex-fanatic basic instinct has aroused in 90s.

    to begin with, basic instinct whirls around michael douglas' impulsive copper tailing over the seductive but psychopathic female suspect, played by blonde sharon stone, within the bumpy hills of san fransisco. douglas drives his vehicle around to track down stone's behaviors to gather clues for the murder case. he watches her changing clothes in complete nude from a far distance with a drooling throb just like stewart's trailing behind kim novak with a yearning crush. meanwhile this hot-tempered copper also has flings with the female shrink, who happens to be a brunette, whom he uses for temporal release, in frisco's police bureau. as everyone who has seen basic instinct would know, the female shrink (jeanne tripplehorn) later is revealed to have had lesbian sex with stone and possibly has been a creepy impersonator of stone during her younger college days, additionally she may also perform muders under the blonde wig. in vertigo, the dark judy has to dye her hair blonde and dress like blonde madeleine to gain a sense of sexual potency over her man. blonde hair has been fetishized as a token of omnipotency in sex or violence, thus jeanne tripplehorn's character needs to impersonate the blonde powerful sharon stone in the course of murder as well as sexual tease.

    jimmy stewart breaks the shield between he and madeleine when madeleine dives into the san fransisco bay, and that is a perfect excuse for him to play the part of accidental knight to justify his attempt to practice his obsession over this woman. but in basic instinct, the stimulus is much stronger as time processes and the barrier of censorship has been torn, douglas' character could only get into stone's private chamber after being suspended on leave (stewart's a retired cop in vertigo, and he romances novak when he's not a cop anymore)...in other words, douglas needs to justify his wish to bed stone by his temporal discharge from policeman service. then a series of sexual ecstacies ensue as douglas "escorts" stone in an orgiastic nightclub where everyone gets high on the binge of dope and mix-gendered sex.

    besides the notion of scopophilia/voyeurism and sexual fetishization, the rest of the movie is a pulp mutation of dominatrix erotism within threesome intercourse and gory death under the pinnacle of maniac orgasm(killed by an icepick when you finally cum). it is absurd for anyone to associate those elements with "homophobic uglification" or "ferocious feminism"..there's nothing feministic in the character of catherine trammel because it's an imaginary invention of almightly dominatrix in one of heterosexual male's masturbatory fantasies..(have you ever watch the works by eric stanton, whose erotic comics are about men getting his sexual titilations from getting beaten by voluptuous woman who force men into oral sex and butt-spanking??)

    conclusively, basic instinct is definitely a vertigo twist in paul verhoeven's naughty, whimsical ways.

    (ps) sharon stone's white dress and overcoat during the notorious police inquest do have a resemblance to novak's clothes in vertigo...the whole vertigo-esque look is demure and sophisticated, of course, until she opens her legs to exhibit her vulva..ha. with her blonde hair combed properly, stone ignites a cigarette with absolute composure...that's definitely a luring image. perhaps, catherine trammel is a dirty old man's wishful idea of turning the vertigo lady into some highly fuckable tramp who would do everyone, man and woman alike, indiscriminantly.
  • ythelastman89
    February 8, 2010
    ythelastman89
    For what it is, Basic Instinct is perfect. It's an extremely well done suspense thriller that actually had some unpredictability to it. Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone were both really great. Paul Verhoeven presents a very interesting San Fransisco backdrop that rivals Hitchcock... read more's Vertigo. It is extremely bold and goes where no movie ever went before. I think it's very much a homage to the plots of the noir genre, but it really doesn't have the same look at all. There's too much camera movement and colorful backgrounds to be considered neo-noir. It was very much a new age of cinema.
  • FilmFanatik
    January 15, 2010
    FilmFanatik
    One of the greatest thrillers ever made. It still loses a star for all the sex. Sorry people, can't let it slide, no matter what.
  • TheGame90
    January 14, 2010
    TheGame90
    Almost a 5-star movie. The story is telled very great. Great performance by every character. An my god...one of the greatest endings ever (oh yeah...it's way up there with halloween 3)

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Critic Reviews

Jonathan Rosenbaum
February 8, 2008
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

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. Full Review

Variety Staff
February 8, 2008
Variety Staff, Variety

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 ... Full Review

Janet Maslin
May 20, 2003
Janet Maslin, New York Times

Basic Instinct transfers Mr. Verhoeven's flair for action-oriented material to the realm of Hitchcockian intrigue, and the results are viscerally effective even when they don't make sense. Full Review

Peter Travers
May 12, 2001
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

Verhoeven's cinematic wet dream delivers the goods, especially when Sharon Stone struts on with enough come-on carnality to singe the screen.

Rita Kempley
January 1, 2000
Rita Kempley, Washington Post

These actors seem driven less by real emotions than Eveready bunny batteries. Full Review

Desson Thomson
January 1, 2000
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

A predictable, surprisingly uninvolving affair. Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

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

John Hartl
January 1, 2000
John Hartl, Film.com

Slick, clever and entertainingly overheated while you're watching it, Basic Instinct starts to evaporate the second you leave the theater.

Hollis Griffin
January 1, 2011
Hollis Griffin, Common Sense Media

Excessive whodunit is definitely not for kids. Full Review

Mark Dinning
February 8, 2008
Mark Dinning, Empire Magazine

Truly bonkers, and perhaps something of a guilty pleasure. Full Review

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