I feel compelled to write a brief review on here after giving it an 8 upon re-watching it tonight--haven't seen it since it came out. I was drawn in mostly out of curiosity and simply craving the retro feeling and California locale. I mainly remembered how scandalous this seemed when it came out, that it was sexy and daring, and that was about it. Well, and the...weapon. And the interrogation. But wow, I frankly don't think we (and certainly the critics!) fully appreciated this movie back then. Daring indeed, I don't think the world had quite seen a woman as such embodied by Stone before, she was the ultimate incarnation of sexuality, confidence, and evil brilliance. I am not sure it has ever been matched. Simply perfection. I love the way the movie was shot, it was on the one hand informal like a cop buddy murder mystery movie, but that was merely the backdrop to the incessant tension and stimulation between Stone and Douglas--it was also rich with cinematography, you could taste San Francisco and the salt of the coast, while transported to a very different time, now far in the past. They captured it perfectly. But the story, the drama, the intrigue, the nail-biting and simultaneous arousal--it was to me an evolved take on--and much sexier version of--a Hitchcock film. I think this excellent movie was ahead of it's time in 1992, and I hope more of us give it a second look, and I hope the younger generations discover this somewhat lost gem.
Review of Basic Instinct
