Nov 11 2008
BASIC INSTINCT
BASIC INSTINCT
Probably the best erotic thriller ever made, in fact the penultimate erotic thriller. Michael Douglas is a detective investigating a brutal sex murder. The steamy, seductive and brilliant Catherine Tramell, played superbly by Sharon Stone, challenges Michael Douglas’s wits.
Sharon Stone’s character is the female equivalent of Hannibal Lecter (except the cannibalism), the way she manipulates people to get more info about people and using their weaknesses as a weapon. This film has probably the steamiest sex scenes (bordering on pornography) ever photographed, the sex scene rivals DON’T LOOK NOW and BODY HEAT. Filmed tightly by Paul Verhoeven and written by the controversial and clichéd Joe Eszterhas, who wrote such stinkers as SHOWGIRLS and JADE. The two of them shined with this excellent thriller. This thriller will have you guessing until the final frame of film. A definite must see.
The sequel I actually did enjoy, BASIC INSTINCT 2, had its moments but wasn’t close to the original. However, even though Ms. Stone got the Razzie for her performance, I strongly disagree. I think she still had the synergy she carried in the first film and she was a spark in a routine film. She held onto her Catherine Tramell character like Anthony Hopkins did with his notorious serial killer character. I feel it was a smart idea to set the sequel in another country, that breathes new life into an old formula. Both films are great to watch on a dark, rainy night.
