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Basic Instinct Details

1992 Certificate 18
  • 60
  • from 11,985 members

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 encounter involving a rock-star bound with a white Hermes scarf by an unidentified blond woman. Despite the fact that the scene ends .. Read more

Starring Sharon Stone, Michael Douglas, Jeanne Tripplehorn, George Dzundza
Director Paul Verhoeven
Genres Thriller

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Basic Instinct cover art

Basic Instinct

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 encounter 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, All Movie Guide

Starring Sharon Stone, Michael Douglas, Jeanne Tripplehorn, George Dzundza, Dennis Arndt, Leilani Sarelle
Director Paul Verhoeven
Studio MOMENTUM PICTURES
Run time DVD: 2 hrs
HD DVD: 2 hrs 8 mins
Blu-ray: 2 hrs 3 mins
Certificate Certificate 18
Collections 100 Feisty Females
Genres Thriller
Language DVD: English
HD DVD: English
Blu-ray: English
Dubbed German, Spanish
Subtitles DVD: Dutch, English, German, Portuguese, Spanish, Turkish
Released Production year: 1992

To Rent:
DVD: 20 May 2002
HD DVD: not available
Blu-ray: 15 Sep 2008
HD DVD: 26 Mar 2007

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  • Critic's review of Basic Instinct

    View all critics' reviews (5)

    • 1 stars out of 4  

      Overheated, overlong melodramatic thriller with an implausible plot that requires its audience to accept that Michael Douglas is irresistibly attractive to bisexual women. But the skill and pace of the direction makes one regret that they were not exercis

    • 31648

  • Most helpful member's review of Basic Instinct

    View all members' reviews (62)

    • Rated - 4.0 stars  

      • 13
      • 7

      Y-shaped coffin required...

      As someone at a funeral once said: well at least they're together now...

      Can't have been talking about Catherine Trammel's legs mind you... read more »

      Report this review

    • 713

  • Most recent members' reviews of Basic Instinct

    View all members' reviews (62)

    • Rated - 5.0 stars  

      • 0
      • 0

      "She was the f**k of the century!"

      THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS | Show review anywayHide

      Basic Instinct is a thrilling, erotic crime drama. Directed by Paul Verhoeven, starring Michael Douglas as Nick Curren and Sharon Stone as drop dead gorgeous ... read more »

      Report this review

    • 968115

    • Rated - 5.0 stars  

      • 0
      • 0

      Basic Instinct - Review

      A fantastic film. The film captures the audience from the very beginning with one of the most arousing, yet horrifying sex scenes ever shown on film. Throughout... read more »

      Report this review

    • 902450
  • View all members' reviews (62)

  • News and features

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    Basic Instinct

    Stone to play cheating wife in new sex thriller

    • WENN Newsdesk
    • 02 Feb 2012

    Sharon Stone is returning to familiar film territory as a married woman who seduces a student in controversial director Tony Kaye's new movie. The actress, who vamped it up on screen as Catherine Tramell in both Basic Instinct movies, will lead the cast of Attachment. In the film, a one-night stand comes back to haunt her when the object of her affections becomes her daughter's boyfriend. The film will start shooting in April (12), according to The Hollywood Reporter. Read more

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Rating breakdown

11,985 Member ratings
  • 100
781
  • 90
811
  • 80
1,839
  • 70
2,209
  • 60
3,002
  • 50
1,469
  • 40
901
  • 30
478
  • 20
330
  • 10
165

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Buy from Amazon.co.uk

    • Basic Instinct - Blu-ray

    • Basic Instinct - Blu-ray
      This steamy thriller to end all steamy thrillers stars Michael Douglas as Nick, a boozy San Francisco police detective who finds himself drawn to the prime suspect in a murder case--manipulative, sexually uninhibited novelist Catherine Trammell (Sharon Stone). Catherine's latest book features a ...
    • Basic Instinct - HD

    • Basic Instinct - HD
      This steamy thriller to end all steamy thrillers stars Michael Douglas as Nick, a boozy San Francisco police detective who finds himself drawn to the prime suspect in a murder case--manipulative, sexually uninhibited novelist Catherine Trammell (Sharon Stone). Catherine's latest book features a ...
    • Basic Instinct

    • Basic Instinct
      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 encounter involving a rock-star bound with a white Hermes scarf by an unidentified blond woman. ...

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