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Basic Instinct (1992)
Paul Verhoeven has always been a bit hit and miss for me. Total Recall is ass-kicking awesomeness, and Starship Troopers is a solid sci-fi-war picture, but the rest are a bit iffy for me. Basic Instinct has always intrigued me, though, because I have a major crush on Ms Stone and Michael Douglas ain't that bad an actor, either. But does the film itself deserve all the negative criticism it receives?
First of all, I went into this with very little expectations. Sure, I'd heard of the notorious interrogation scene, and I was excited to see it going in, but other than that, I expected to it to be trash. Imagine how surprised I was to find an suspenseful, atmospheric and erotic thriller hiding beneath the trashy exterior. Seriously, I'm not joking. I think this film is terrific.
Verhoeven seemed to be having a lot of fun playing with the conventions of the thriller genre, while adding a substantial amount of sex and violence for casual viewing pleasure. That opening scene throws the viewer straight into the murder investigation, and the pacing maintains a solid speed, never letting up, but never going too fast that you're going to miss important details. I also like how Verhoeven shoots the sex scenes in a trashy pornographic sort of way, but the photography manages keep an aura of class.
Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone deliver two convincing and engaging central performances, as the conflicted cop and the cold femme fatale respectively. Their dialogue delivery borders on the melodramatic at times, but for the most part, they remain solid leads that anchor the film.
But, all these points aside, I can see where the negative criticism comes from. It's depiction of the character's sexual energy can be a bit much, and some of the blood effects look fake. Also, that final twist, I saw it coming. Honestly, who didn't? From the beginning, it established that Catherine Tramell was a b*tch you just didn't want to mess with.
Despite this, I enjoyed Basic Instinct quite a bit. A very engaging, mildly contrived thriller that maintained it's pace and kept me entertained. And if a movie can do that for me, I'm happy.
Paul Verhoeven has always been a bit hit and miss for me. Total Recall is ass-kicking awesomeness, and Starship Troopers is a solid sci-fi-war picture, but the rest are a bit iffy for me. Basic Instinct has always intrigued me, though, because I have a major crush on Ms Stone and Michael Douglas ain't that bad an actor, either. But does the film itself deserve all the negative criticism it receives?
First of all, I went into this with very little expectations. Sure, I'd heard of the notorious interrogation scene, and I was excited to see it going in, but other than that, I expected to it to be trash. Imagine how surprised I was to find an suspenseful, atmospheric and erotic thriller hiding beneath the trashy exterior. Seriously, I'm not joking. I think this film is terrific.
Verhoeven seemed to be having a lot of fun playing with the conventions of the thriller genre, while adding a substantial amount of sex and violence for casual viewing pleasure. That opening scene throws the viewer straight into the murder investigation, and the pacing maintains a solid speed, never letting up, but never going too fast that you're going to miss important details. I also like how Verhoeven shoots the sex scenes in a trashy pornographic sort of way, but the photography manages keep an aura of class.
Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone deliver two convincing and engaging central performances, as the conflicted cop and the cold femme fatale respectively. Their dialogue delivery borders on the melodramatic at times, but for the most part, they remain solid leads that anchor the film.
But, all these points aside, I can see where the negative criticism comes from. It's depiction of the character's sexual energy can be a bit much, and some of the blood effects look fake. Also, that final twist, I saw it coming. Honestly, who didn't? From the beginning, it established that Catherine Tramell was a b*tch you just didn't want to mess with.
Despite this, I enjoyed Basic Instinct quite a bit. A very engaging, mildly contrived thriller that maintained it's pace and kept me entertained. And if a movie can do that for me, I'm happy.