Basic Instinct (1992)

Director:

Paul Verhoeven

Writer (WGA):

Joe Eszterhas (written by)

Release Date:

20 March 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

A brutal murder. A brilliant killer. A cop who can't resist the danger.

Plot:

A police detective is in charge of the investigation of a brutal murder, in which a beautiful and seductive woman could be involved.

Plot Keywords:

Ex Girlfriend | Hit By Car | Threat | Extreme Sex | Bar

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 16 nominations

Cast

Michael Douglas	...	Det. Nick Curran
Sharon Stone	...	Catherine Tramell
George Dzundza	...	Gus Moran
Jeanne Tripplehorn	...	Dr. Beth Garner
Denis Arndt	...	Lt. Philip Walker
Leilani Sarelle	...	Roxy
Bruce A. Young	...	Andrews
Chelcie Ross	...	Capt. Talcott
Dorothy Malone	...	Hazel Dobkins
Wayne Knight	...	John Correli
Daniel von Bargen	...	Lt. Marty Nilsen
Stephen Tobolowsky	...	Dr. Lamott
Benjamin Mouton	...	Harrigan
Jack McGee	...	Sheriff
Bill Cable	...	Johnny Boz

Also Known As:

Basic Instinct (France)
Ice Cold Desire (Singapore: English title) (censored version)
Love Hurts (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence and sensuality, and for drug use and language.

Runtime:

127 min | USA:128 min (unrated version)

Country:

USA | France

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR | LC-Concept Digital Sound (France)

Certification:

Singapore:R21 (re-rating) (2007) | Malaysia:(Banned) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) (re-rating) (2001) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | Brazil:18 | Singapore:PG (video rating) (heavily cut) | India:A | Finland:K-16 (video rating) (cut) (1992) | Finland:K-18 (theatrical rating) (1992) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Ontario) (also director's cut) | USA:R (certificate #31380) | Australia:M (TV rating) | Hungary:18 | Singapore:R(A) (cut) (1992) | Argentina:18 | Australia:R | Belgium:KNT | Canada:18+ (Quebec) (also director's cut) | Chile:18 | France:-12 (re-rating) | France:-16 (original rating) | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:III | Ireland:18 | Italy:VM14 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:18 | Peru:18 | Portugal:M/18 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:Unrated (director's cut) | Mexico:C | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

1158 Montgomery Street, Telegraph Hill, San Francisco, California, USA

Company:

Canal+

Trivia:

According to director Paul Verhoeven, the woman in the opening scene was Sharon Stone and not a body double.

Goofs:

Cap on tabasco sauce bottle while Nick and Gus are in diner.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Gus: Who was this fucking guy?
Nick: Rock and Roll, Gus. Johnny Boz?
Gus: Never heard of him.
Nick: Before your time, cowboy. Hey, Ronny! Where they hiding?
Ronny: Upstairs to the right.
Nick: Mid Sixties he had five or six hits. Got a club down in Fillmore now.
Gus: Not now, he don't.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Tripping the Rift: Miss Galaxy 5000 (#1.3)" (2004)

Soundtrack:

Rave The Rhythm

a thriller with an interesting twist on the old detective vs. a suspect who happens to be an irresistible babe as well as a hard as nails dame.

I gave this film a 10 in part because 12 years after seeing it for the first -- and only -- time, it still evokes a spontaneous "wow, it was great" whenever I think of it. The screenplay was truly excellent in its genre, leaving you guessing and revising your guess throughout the film. It should also be commended for daring to portray an "uber"- homosexual with no apology to either conservative homophobes or the zealously politically correct.

Douglas merits praise for this performance, which was so good that I was able to put my intense dislike of him for personal reasons aside and worry about the safety of the character he portrayed in the film.

As for Sharon Stone, it only takes one performance like the one in this film to make an indelible mark. Superb. I had no idea who Sharon Stone was when I went to see this film and I left the theater as mesmerized by her screen presence as I had been by Faye Dunaway's in Bonnie and Clyde and Kristin Scott Thomas in Brideshead Revisited. The caliber of her breakthrough in this film matches that of Russell Crowe in L.A. Confidential and Angelina Jolie in Girl Interrupted.

In much the same way as Glenn Close set the standard for a certain character type in Fatal Attraction, Stone established the standard for another character type against which all subsequent interpretations should be measured. If it were only to see how beautiful Stone is in this film it would be well worth the rental. She leaves as unforgettably stylish and seductive an impression as Rita Hayworth's Gilda did in a role that might be thought of as the anti-Gilda.