Rating: 
Summary: Stellar performances, but lacks intensity.
Review: I'll get over the formalities and cut right to the chase: "Basic Instinct" has some great acting by a wonderful cast, and a conceivably good story, but in the hands of director Paul Verhoeven, who is well-known for his use of style over substance, the mystery and psychological inklings fall increasingly short of suspenseful, leading us up to twist after twist, some of which work, others that founder. His sense of direction is in the right place, but the way in which he takes us where he wants us to go is surprisingly joyless, and without intensity. The film begins, fittingly enough, with a sex scene, in which a former rock star, who is now a prestigious community member in San Francisco, is murdered with an ice pick after intercourse by an unseen blonde woman. This brings detective Nick Curran (Michael Douglas) to the attention of the sultry author Catherine Tramell (Sharon Stone), who was last seen with the murder victim. It also doesn't help that the murder is an exact reenactment of a similar event in one of her novels. At first, Curran seems turned off by Tramell's forthrightness in her testimony of her relationship with the victim, and is certain that a lie detector test that proves her innocent is wrong. But as he begins to dig his nails into clues, he also finds himself mesmerized by her, and by the danger he feels in playing head games with her as she does with him. His life begins to take a nose dive: he begins smoking and drinking again, and becomes so infatuated with Tramell that he becomes even more determined to prove her innocent. So does all of this really work? Some elements do, such as the wonderful acting and sometimes witty dialogue exchanges, but others, such as ambiguous clues and lurid sex scenes, do not. The movie is worth it to see the terrific talents of its cast, but take them out of the equation, and what you have is a skin flick spiced up with a Hollywood makeover. The movie's two main stars are its central attractions, featuring some very effective work from Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone, who play their parts with a wicked wit and devilish fun. Douglas embodies the obsession in his character like a pro, using emotion and body language to confirm Curran's descent into infatuation. Stone steals the show, not only with her provocative figure shots, but with the excellent wit she employs in her dialogue. Exchanges between the two characters are impressive, if not eerie. The murder mystery is intriguing, for the most part. It keeps us waiting until the ending, to let us know the final answer that will solve everything we've been suspecting. Each clue left to us by the story has two different paths, one that points to another possible suspect as the killer, and one that points to the until-now prime suspect Tramell. The final shot answers this question, but lessens the effect of the picture as a whole because we come to realize just how much the movie toys with us, leading us to believe one thing, and then betraying the trust we have put into Tramell. The movie serves little other purpose other than to show off director Verhoeven's virtuoso style as he invites us on a very lurid trip into obsession. He fills the canvas with over-the-top sex scenes, which do little to enhance the effect of the film. There are scenes that work nicely, such as the interrogation scene, in which Tramell coolly shifts in her chair giving the detectives a clean view of her mid-section; the shock on their faces is priceless. But the movie also contains its fair share of gratuitous sex, which comes close to crossing the boundaries of soft and hard-core erotica. This is more of a turn-off, and may even provoke snickers rather than a serious approach. In summation, "Basic Instinct" has all the good parts of a thriller, but the bad parts outweigh them heavily. The acting is stellar, while the central plot is full of mystery. Too bad that Verhoeven trades in a good deal for cheap pornography and an ending that revokes everything we've been lead to believe from the beginning.
Rating: 
Summary: The king of erotic thrillers!
Review: "Basic Instinct" is one of the best films of the nineties. The best English-spoken film of Paul Verhoeven, ther same guy who brought us "Robocop", "Total Recall", "Showgirls" and "Starship Troopers". Michael Douglas gives a great performance as Nick Curran, the lucky cop. Sharon Stone is brilliant in what must be the best portrayal of a femme fatale ever filmed. She is such a charming devil, you can't help but admire her intellectual capacities and much more! You don't get the chance to see a film like this everyday. "Basic Instinct" remains the king of erotic thrillers -- it's gutsy, has a great deal of action (including two sophisticated car chase scenes), it's intelligent and so sexy... hot as Hell!
Rating: 
Summary: Enjoyable thriller from Paul Verhoeven!
Review:
A San Francisco detective named " Nick" ( Michael Douglas) is investigating the murder of a former pop-rock star, he suspects gorgeous bisexual novelist Catherine Tramell ( Sharon Stone) thinking that she murdered him as she seduces him. It's now a game of cat-and-mouse as Nick is caught in a sexual web of violence and trying to find who the killer is.
Intersting, controversial but enjoyable erotic suspenser from the director of "Robocop", " Total Recall" and "Starship Troopers" Paul Verhoeven is quite a puzzling movie that has steamy sex scenes, the famous interrogation scene, decent acting and violent scenes you won't forget such as the icepick murder.
The Unrated Director's Cut Special Edition DVD has very good picture & good sound quality with scenes that never made it into the R Rated cut to avoid an NC-17 rating especially the uncensored version of the interrogation scene. It's extras are good such as two audio commentaries, a featurette, Photo Gallery, Storyboard Gallery, an easy to find easter egg and Trailer with TV Spot.
Rating: 
Summary: YeePee...PORN with a PLOT ! ! !
Review: *BASIC INSTINCT: Unrated Director's Cut*
Wow, I don't remember this movie being so pornographic. I guess the Director's Cut, with the extra 5 minutes, is nothing more than extra porn. I remember it's what made Sharon Stone so popular? This would have made her a legend if it was released this way. From graphic oral sex(Michael on Sharon) to a near rape scene, this movie is just too much for me. The main story is great, with a great twist for an ending(or non-twist, depending on how you look at it) however, the graphic sex-scenes are just not neccessary and are way too overboard(I can't help but wonder if Sharon Stone and Michael Douglas are still proud of their work on this film?).
Go ahead and call me prude, but I cannot recommend this filthy trash.
Rating:
Summary: still sexy, still compelling, still a
Review: pretty good movie. Sharon is very good, as is Michael and even Ms. Tripplehorn, who's never been recognized as a pretty sexy actress herself. But a classic? Nope. Sorry. It just isn't. The film flops around a little too much to really stand out as a gem, which is a shame because some of the scenes are truly powerful. A bit too slick for its own good, IMHO. Worth watching again? Absolutely. Worth owning? Only at a discount.
Rating:
Summary: HOMICIDAL PARAMOURS, VOYEUR-EVER YOU LOOK
Review: Your impression of this cult classic is probably bang on target, no pun intended. It's lurid. It's paced like a highway truck. With decent twists. Even grotesque ones. And it's embellished with grisly slasher scenes inspired by "Psycho", or perhaps De Palma's lacklustre "Dressed to Kill" if you include a certain elevator murder.
You could accord several labels to its unabashed whodunnit moments wrapped in soft porn, but complexity would not be one of them. The plot isn't exactly a brain-twister, Hitchcock nailed this effectively in "Suspicion", about someone unwittingly getting entangled with a virulent maniac.
It's the screenplay that scintillates. Smart and sexy, a little manipulative and very interchangeable, but it fashions itself for the purpose of its existence. Ultimately, it's less ham-handed than it is nonchalant about being such a disposable perk. The finale is admittedly a bit contrived but it works in that strange little way.
Stone needs no introduction but my second viewing confirms that Michael Douglas pitches in a lot of 'hard' work too. Not sure if it's the indelible rear shots of him, or the ultimate range he proves in what could have easily been a third-tier erotic thriller.
Fascinating rental for above eighteens.
Rating:
Summary: Why isn't this in stock?
Review: One of my favorite movies of all time. Why isn't the unrated director's cut in stock? Vendors are asking $35 or more for this. I guess I'll just keep waiting, but I'm getting impatient!
Rating:
Summary: Surprising and provocative.
Review: By now most people are aware of some of the more notorious scenes in this popular 1992 movie about a murder/mystery writer(the sexy-as-ever Sharon Stone) being prime suspect for a string of murders that eerily resemble the death scenes in her novels. What some people may not know is that this movie actually has a really intriguing story. I decided to rent this movie one night when not much else was at the rental store and I was in the mood for a mystery movie and the clerk at the rental store recommended the new unrated edition of Basic Instint. At first I was skeptical, I figured it wasn't much for story, just eye-candy, and I wanted a story. The clerk assured me that it was more than just eye-candy, this movie had an excellent story full of twists that would keep you guessing until the end, so I decided, why not give it a try. To my surprise the movie was excellent. Even the most notorious scene in the movie (the interrogation scene) which when talked about sounds like it was a marketing ploy to get plenty of guys in the seats, actually served a purpose in the film by showing the power Sharon's character weilded over men with her sexuality.
The acting in this movie is quite superb, especially by Sharon Stone who you never quite know if she's good or evil or simply playing the devil's advocate. Michael Douglas also does an excellent job of playing a loose-cannon detective who is the lead investigator in the case and gets involved with Sharon's character. The directing by Paul Verhoeven is also top-notch, possilby his best.
So, with all that being said, don't write this movie off as simply another raunchy movie with no story, give it a chance and I'm sure you'll be surprised.
This version is unrated, it contains language, violence, strong sexuality/nudity, and drug references.
Rating:
Summary: Nothing Basic about this movie
Review: A sexy thriller with good performances and nice direction and cinematography.
This is the best thing Sharon Stone has done on film to date I think.
Extra bonus features are good and the ice pick pen is a cute touch!
Rating:
Summary: The king of erotic thrillers!
Review: "Basic Instinct" is one of the best films of the nineties. The best English-spoken film of Paul Verhoeven, ther same guy who brought us "Robocop", "Total Recall", "Showgirls" and "Starship Troopers". Michael Douglas gives a great performance as Nick Curran, the lucky cop. Sharon Stone is brilliant in what must be the best portrayal of a femme fatale ever filmed. She is such a charming devil, you can't help but admire her intellectual capacities and much more! You don't get the chance to see a film like this everyday. "Basic Instinct" remains the king of erotic thrillers -- it's gutsy, has a great deal of action (including two sophisticated car chase scenes), it's intelligent and so sexy... hot as Hell!
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