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Sharon Stone, sex, ice picks and murder. : November 8, 2005

Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie?s plot.

After watching the new DVD of the uncut & uncensored version of the 1992 erotic-thriller Basic Instinct, I was surprised at how well the movie has aged. I also noticed that it doesn?t seem quite as shocking as far as the sex scenes & subject matter are concerned as it originally did when it was in theaters.

When this film was originally released in the U.S. back in 1992 (in edited R-rated form), it ignited a firestorm of controversy in which gay alliances blasted the film saying that it painted homosexuals as nothing but murderous psychopaths. Women?s groups also said that the movie was extremely misogynistic as well. I never could really see what everyone was complaining about, since the women in the movie are actually the ones with all of the control and power. As it for portraying homosexuals in a negative light, I also disagree. But that?s old news.

Now that the initial debate about the movie has pretty much died, Basic Instinct can now be seen as what it was strictly meant to be, which is one of the best erotic thrillers to be released by a major hollywood studio. It has its problems at times, but for what it tried to do, it succeeds extremely well.

The now well-known plot (that I won?t give too much away from in case someone hasn?t seen it yet) involves Nick Curran (Michael Douglas) and Guss (George Dzundza) who are detectives in San Francisco investigating the brutal murder of a former rock star and nightclub owner Johnny Boz (Bill Cable). Johnny was brutally stabbed repeatedly with an icepick during sex at the moment of climax while he was tied up. The prime suspect is the beautiful, intelligent and mysterious Catherine Tramell (Sharon Stone), an author of erotic murder mysteries who was also Johnny?s girlfriend. It seems that her most recent book has a part in which a vicious murder happens that is strikingly similar to Johnny Boz?s murder. Nick has had a troubled history as a cop that has included cocaine and alcohol abuse, and accidentally shooting an couple of innocent tourists during a botched stakeout (for which he was cleared of all charges). He has regular meetings with the local police psychiatrist Elisabeth Garner (Jeanne Tipplehorn) with whom he had an intense relationship with at one point. He?s also being kept under the watchful eye of Internal Affairs due to his checkered past. During the investigation, Nick finds himself becoming extremely attracted to Catherine, much to everyone?s dismay. Catherine is also bisexual and lives with a beautiful lesbian named Roxy (Leilani Sarelle). The movie ends up piling red herrings on top of red herrings, and some characters end up not being quite who they seemed to be at first. The plot barrels along to an abrupt conclusion that will likely make people scratch their heads and utter a collective ?huh?!?.

This was Dutch director Paul Verhoeven?s third American film after his breakout success with 1987?s cult-classic Robocop and the equally ultraviolent 1990 sci-fi Schwarzenegger vehicle Total Recall. He has stated in many interviews that one of his favorite filmmakers of all time is Alfred Hitchcock. He viewed Basic Instinct as his chance to make a Hitchcockian type film but with some explicit sexual content that caused audiences (especially those in the U.S.) to sit up and take notice.

The infamous sex scenes in the movie caused a great stir since they combine both sex and violence in sometimes jarring doses. A perfect example is when Nick and Elisabeth begin to passionately make out in her apartment. What starts out as very erotic turns savage when Nick borderline rapes her while entering her from behind. Another would be the opening shot showing an unknown woman having sex with Johnny on his bed. She is on top of him and eventually ties up his hands while he sucks and kisses one of her nipples. After tying them, she starts to bring them both to orgasm before stabbing him repeatedly in the face and neck with an ice pick.

That scene is what really makes the central sex scene between Catherine and Nick so memorable since she also ties up his hands (after some truly carnal activity) and proceeds to mimic the opening scene. The audience I originally saw this movie with in theaters were literally gasping with breath since what started out as erotic quickly turned very tense. It?s also nice to see that this movie showed that sexualy explicit material can also be integral to a movie?s plot since we?re waiting to see if she is going to kill Nick like how Johnny was killed at the beginning. The audience ends up not concentrating as much on the explicit sexual activity as they are what Catherine?s planning to do to Nick.

The film features some truly gorgeous and moody cinematography by Jan de Bont (who would become a director in his own right with Twister and Speed). Every shot is carefully lit and the lighting is especially great during Nick and Catherine?s big sex scene.

The music gets a little bit overdramatic at times, but overall really helps to accentuate the film?s brooding feel quite nicely.

All of the actors do fine work. Michael Douglas is his usual solid self, and George Dzundza adds some much welcomed comic relief as Nick?s flustered detective partner Gus. Jeanne Tipplehorn looks great, but her character isn?t quite as large as the others, but she does great work with what she had to work with. The rest of the cast are also good. Some of the performances have a quirky tongue-in-cheek quality to them that helps to lighten up the film at various points.

But the movie belongs to Sharon Stone. In addition to looking absolutely gorgeous in every scene she?s in, Sharon also does a tremendous acting job that got somewhat overlooked by people due to the full-frontal nudity and explicit simulated sex scenes she performed in the film. Her character Catherine really knows how to manipulate people to her advantage and some of the subtle changes she brings in various scenes are truly stupendous. I don?t think that I haven?t seen many films in which an actress has brought such a natural smoldering sensuality to a role like she did in this. Her work in the infamous interrogation room sequence is a tour-de-force.

The plot is what brings this movie down a bit at various points. Written by Joe Eszterhas (before he ended his career with Showgirls), the movie strikes a pretty good balance for the most part. But there are places where it is evident that he got a little more caught up in the sexual excesses of the story instead of supplying a completely coherent plot. This is most evident in the movie?s conclusion that raised a lot of debate since it was kind of vague as to who the killer actually was. This isn?t Shakespeare, and it does get a little silly at parts, but overall his script gets the job done (even if it is a bit similar to Jagged Edge at times, which he also wrote.) I wish the ending had been a little more fleshed out since it feels just a bit rushed during the final stretch.

I really don?t think that they exploited the whole lesbian angle nearly as much as they could have. People who blast the film for supposedly putting homosexuals and women in a negative light are really missing the point of the movie IMO.

It?s been close to 10 years since this film was originally released, and it has aged pretty well. Since this movie, there have been numerous other films that have pushed the envelope much more than this movie did, so now it doesn?t seem quite as shocking as it initially did. While it is nowhere near Hitchcock, the fact that they implemented that feel and style into this movie really helped to elevate it and make it much more than just erotic trash.

The plot doesn?t hold up all the way through, but overall I rank Basic Instinct near the top of it?s genre. My 4 (actually make that 4 1/2) star rating is based purely on comparing this movie to other films like it. Sure, if you start comparing this movie to Saving Private Ryan or Gandhi, it?s going to not seem that great. But taken for what it is, it is one of the best and a great showcase for Sharon Stone. The combination of violence, explicit sex and sexual ambiguity make Basic Instinct one of the best guilty pleasure films ever made.

The recent special edition DVD is chock full of extras. In addition to a commentary track featuring Paul Verhoeven and Jan de Bont, there is also one in which a feminist critic actually ends up praising the film (and she does a great job explaning why.) Anyone who has labled the film as misogynistic would be wise to hear her comments. There are also segments showing the differances between the butchered network T.V. version and the original cut and the expected interviews with the cast and crew. Also, it?s presented in its original 2.35:1 widescreen ratio. If you have ever tried watching this film in pan/scan, the widescreen DVD is most welcome indeed!

I strongly recommend checking out the unrated director?s cut of the this movie versus the censored R-rated version. The unrated cut is much more explicit but also seems more appropriate and smooth.

Basic Instinct the director?s cut is not rated and contains explicit sexual content, nudity, graphic violence and strong language.

Source: http://www.movie-lib.com/11/basic-instinct-reviews.html

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