Rating of
3/4
Stone Cold Thriller
Andrew - wrote on 05/13/12
Basic Instinct is an effective film that includes high amounts of Director Paul Verhoeven's trademark graphic sex and violence. This film is a true erotic thriller containing the infamous scene where Sharon Stone shows her vulva.
This film seems at first to be a classic mystery story. Hard edged cop Nick Curran (Michael Douglas) is on the trail of a woman who murders a famous rock star. Catherine Tramell (Sharon Stone) is his suspect, but as the story continues he isn't too convinced that she did the killing as he begins a sexual affair with her.
All nudity aside, this is Stone's film. She takes the classic femme fatale archetype and makes it her own, portraying Catherine Tramell as a genius author who enjoys mind games and lots of sex. Her chemistry with Michael Douglas is quite good as their two characters match wits throughout. Douglas himself is at home playing the conflicted cop with an appetite for alcohol, cigarettes, and sex.
Verhoeven's film is well put together and based on a fine screenplay by Joe Eszterhas. It loses a little bit of its steam towards the end, but as a thriller/mystery it holds up quite well. The film is far from a masterpiece, but sustains a high level intrigue throughout. It is not a great film, but certainly a good one that is worth watching.
