Enjoyable Erotic Thriller
I don't understand why everyone beats up on Basic Instinct yet most people love watching this film regardless. People label it as trash and yet fail to recognize what it does right. Like it or not the film has an iconic place in mainstream cinema due to the leg crossing scene but this isn't the sum of the film, it has much more going for it. A highly entertaining script by Joe Esterhaus keeps things moving at a fast pace, while great direction from Paul Verhoevan clearly channeling Hitchcock (in particular Virtigo) makes this film a pleasure to watch. The sex is at times over the top but this an erotic thriller, the sex is a large part of the entertainment factor and it's very well done, beautifully shot and choreographed like an intricate dance routine (if you have the DVD you can see how well planned out the sex scenes were via storyboards, such preparation !). I don't think the film seems sleazy, or like the fantasies of a misogynistic male script writer, in fact, the women in the film are portrayed as powerful, often in roles superior to the men and with more control.
The character of Catherine Trammel was the role Stone was born to play and no one could do it better. She is gorgeous to look at but also holds the look of an intelligent woman, who could be calculating and murderous which is why she is so believable in the role of a femme fatale. Stone shows real acting talent in this movie, particularly in the films interrogation scene where all the subtleties of the character are played out in front of a stunned/dominated room of male police officers. We can tell she's playing with them but Stone doesn't vamp it up and make it camp, instead she is subdued, with the odd little smile and biting answer about her sexual practices for humor. In contrast though she is intense with the officers too, adding to the duality of her character and whether or not she fits their killer profile.
Michael Douglas is good in his role as supposed good guy Nick Curran. I'm glad he plays a multi dimensional character in this, who has as many potentially evil impulses as that of Stone's character despite being the films 'hero' character. Your never quite sure who to root for, his character or Stone's but they make a good pair and have great screen chemistry as each tries to control the other.
Jeaneen Tripplehorn plays a good supporting role as a police psychologist who has more to her than meets the eye and certainly it's the best role I've seen her in to date (she's in HBO's Big Love now right ?). Like all the others she has something to hide and towards the end of the film becomes more and more involved in Douglas's and Stone's affairs. A good addition I think to keep audiences guessing and have as a contrast to Stone's dominant female force as someone more submissive/dominated.
The unrated version of this film is the way to go, with more gore and sex. The violence isn't too much, even in the unrated version, but one scene, involving a lift murder, is quite graphic/nasty. The sex is explicit but it's hardly soft core pornography, much stronger stuff has come out of mainstream European cinema.
In conclusion this film is very entertaining and one of my all time faves. No matter how many times I watch it I'm always enthralled by the story and the look of the film. I kind of think given censorship today, it's the sort of film Hitchcock would make now as he was quite the sexual fiend but was never allowed to include explicit scenes in his movies. For all the reasons critics have attacked this film I love it for. It's pure pleasant, thriller, escapism with all the excesses you could ask for. It's not Citizen Kane guys but it's damn more exciting !