"Basic Instinct" (1992)

Rating: R:18

Genre: Drama, Horror, Mystery, Romance

Directed By: Paul Verhoeven

Written By: Joe Eszterhas

Released: May 8^th, 1992

Runtime: 127 minutes

Studio: Artisan Entertainment

Summary:

The mysterious Catherine Tramell (Sharon Stone), a beautiful crime novelist, becomes a suspect when she is linked to the brutal death of a rock star. Investigated by homicide detective Nick Curran (Michael Douglas), Catherine seduces him into an intense relationship. Meanwhile, the murder case becomes increasingly complicated when more seemingly connected deaths occur and Nick's psychologist and lover, Beth Garner (Jeanne Tripplehorn), appears to be another suspect. 

Review:

The first thing that always enters people’s heads whenever this film is brought up is the interrogation scene. The film made Sharon Stone a huge star because of the sex appeal she brought to the whole thing. If I’m honest, I think it’s quite sad that this is all people seem to associate with this film. It's not what I remember it for. I happen to think it has a pretty great plot without all that stuff being brought to so much light. But I guess in raw honesty that is pretty much the point of the film.

The characters were all well crafted and the plot itself is one I happen to think is very engaging and well-orchestrated. The mystery and the keeping-you-guessing is done well. Michael Douglas is easy to watch and carries the film through in his leading role very nicely.

What makes this film sort of interesting, at least to me, is that there is effectively two fully developed storylines throughout. With the addition of one shot at the very end of the film, we know who the killer is. But had the shot had revealed a different answer to the whodunnit question, it would have made no difference to the overall plot. Each piece of evidence offered throughout the film supports two different conclusions. The only downside to this would be for some it wouldn’t matter how hard they followed the clues so they could leave the film feeling slightly cheated. The film doesn’t depend on the actions of the characters, or their personalities. The ending is not the shocker for once. You just have to go along for the ride. And that is exactly what it is. 

It’s definitely one of the better films of its genre. Memorable and certainly won’t be overlooked.

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