Review of Basic Instinct (1992) by John E — 08 Jul 2011

Basic Instinct is an erotic thriller that combines raw sexuality and murder into the twisted life of Sharon Stone's character, Catherine Tramell. A boundary pusher for its time, the film was one that leaves a lasting impression on the viewer as all the aspects did a wonderful job assuring it was a credible motion picture. The acting was average, but this was more than made up for by the good direction and great script that created one of the most memorable characters in cinematic history.

The direction by Paul Verhoeven (Total Recall) was quite good. He implemented a certain darkness over the entire film that helped it to carry more suspense for the viewer. This kind of suspense made the movie so much better than it would have been because then it could have run the lines of be just a basic thriller with a few sexually explicit scenes scattered throughout. The sexual scenes were very well done and had an artistic taste added to them through some excellent camera work, a vision that only a good director would be able to bring forth in his or her films. Thus it stands to be said that perhaps the director was the main element in making this film the product that it was.

The script, written by Joe Eszterhas (Music Box), was to simply put it, excellent. The shear nature of it was remarkable and the written part of the evil character was marvelous. It had a great amount of mixture with its material and had a great central story that was able to pull them in from beginning to end. This is a hard task to achieve and yet it seems more than doable here because of the excellent storyline and thickness that is added to the plot. The twists and turns that the film makes throughout its run allows for the viewer to create their own suspense helps to make the film more of a thrill because it allows their minds to wander. The writing of the films overall story is something that is rare in cinema, a serious thriller combined with an artistic approach.

The acting helped to make the film good, but beyond Sharon Stone it was average at best. Sharon Stone (Where Sleeping Dogs Lie) portraying the main character murder suspect and love interest did an amazing job. This role was something new to her and she put everything she had into the character she played. The versatility she brought was something that very few actresses can bring to the table and she seemed to do it with great ease, something veteran actresses avoid because it can exploit weakness. In her case, she did an amazing job and it helped make the film a complete success. Michael Douglas (Black Rain) was alright but seemed there mostly to compliment Stone. The unfortunate part here is that he is a good actor, but it seemed he was outmatched by Stone's portrayal or just didn't seem to put forth his best efforts. He overacted in scenes that called for emotion and seemed to do nothing but read through his lines most of the time. Jeanne Tripplehorn (film debut) did a good job in the film as a ploy in the grand scheme of things, but like her frequent screen partner in Douglas, tended to overact a bit. She still fit her role rather well and was a good fit for her character of the innocent type. The other supporting characters included George Dzundza (The Butcher's Wife) and Leilani Sarelle (Days of Thunder) who did good jobs in their respective roles. The chemistry of the cast was still quite good and was able to mix well, leaving little to be wanted by the audience.

Basic Instinct is a one of a kind thriller that was able to mix the raw power of a killer and a strong sexual presence together into one character. This created a legend and the better part is that it came from a film that was solid all around. The acting was good enough to make the film the thriller it was, but the direction and script are what really made the film the great thrill that it was for the audience. Without the hard work done by the artists from those to particular aspects, it would have been nothing but a regular film instead of the great piece of work it turned out to be.