Basic Instinct (1992)
A brutal murder. A brilliant killer. A cop who can't resist the danger. Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone co-star in this thriller about a man who finds within himself an instinct more basic than survival. [Artisan]
Cast and Information
Directed By: Paul Verhoeven
Written By: Joe Eszterhas
Starring: Stephen Tobolowsky, Sharon Stone, Michael Douglas, James Rebhorn, George Dzundza, Wayne Knight, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chelcie Ross, Mary Pat Gleason, Bruce A. Young, Denis Arndt, Leilani Sarelle
Genres: Drama, Suspense/Thriller, Mystery
Franchise: Basic Instinct
Where to Stream
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Basic Instinct belongs to 50 collections
1. boobs (collaborative: moderated by Pickpocket - 51 stars)
2. Psychotronic Film and Video Guides (collaborative: moderated by Gregzilla - 40 stars)
3. Jonathan Rosenbaum's Top 1000 Movies (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 38 stars)
4. Neo-noir (collaborative: moderated by iconogassed - 28 stars)
5. Full Female Frontal Nudity (Yes, Bush!) (collaborative: moderated by iceblox - 26 stars)
6. Lesbian (collaborative: moderated by Moribunny - 17 stars)
7. The Best Hitchcock Movies (That Hitchcock Never Made) (collaborative: moderated by teckgecko - 17 stars)
8. They Shoot Pictures Neo-Noir (Post-1964) (public: TychoCelchuu - 15 stars)
9. Films available in HD (collaborative: moderated by kubricksucks - 13 stars)
10. Writers and writing (collaborative: moderated by djross - 12 stars)
11. TimeOut's 1000 films to change your life (collaborative: moderated by ppinocchio - 11 stars)
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13. Alternate versions / cuts (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 9 stars)
14. 1,000 Noir Films: They Shot Dark Pictures, Didn't They? (collaborative: moderated by lisa- - 9 stars)
15. Netflix USA (public: mpowell - 8 stars)
16. Anamorphic Cinematography (collaborative: moderated by Bojangles - 7 stars)
17. List: Taschen (collaborative: moderated by KasperL - 6 stars)
18. Filmsite.org - Sex in the Movies, An Illustrated History (collaborative: moderated by afx237vi - 5 stars)
19. Erotic thrillers (collaborative: moderated by mattburgess - 5 stars)
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22. Cop (collaborative: moderated by djross - 2 stars)
23. DtC Doubling the Canon 2022 Nominees (collaborative: moderated by lineuphere - 2 stars)
24. Top 2000 movies with the most votes on IMDb (public: fanfic - 2 stars)
25. The 100 Best Film Noirs of All Time: Slant Magazine (public: TychoCelchuu - 2 stars)
26. Cannes 1992 Official Selection (collaborative - 1 star)
27. Duology (collaborative: moderated by Ag0stoMesmer - 1 star)
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31. Annual top 5 worldwide box office, 1975 - 2022 (public: djross - 1 star)
32. Blank Check with Griffin & David (public: TychoCelchuu - 1 star)
33. Crimes of Passion: The Erotic Thriller (Quad Cinema) (public: CatScandal - 1 star)
34. Netflix (public: TonyS. - 1 star)
35. best sex scenes (collaborative: moderated by BArtus)
36. Jerry Goldsmith (composer) (collaborative: moderated by djross)
37. Ratings (collaborative: moderated by cheapthrills)
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50. Hardboiled, Not Noir (public: Russ Bedford)
Browse the full list of collections
| Stars | User | Rating | |
| 5 |  |
KasperL | 70 65th |
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What are you gonna do, charge me with liking this?
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| 4 |  |
djross | 70 76th |
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Re-watched June 2018: Goldsmith's main theme isn't bad, but parts of the score seem very dated. Nevertheless, the film holds up 26 years later as an amusing and pleasurable thriller whose lurid aspects are concocted with self-conscious exaggeration but delivered with panache by a well-chosen cast. In retrospect, the film also seems to represent a kind of peak of pre-internet Hollywood style, and Stone is perhaps the last Hollywood actress willing to embrace the expression of female sexuality.
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| 3 |  |
cambel | 86 89th |
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A great neo-noir..
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| 3 |  |
HP_Buttcraft | 40 10th |
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"I heard there was an extended lesbian sex scene in this movie but the test audience that watched this movie was... 'turned off' by it. An extended lesbian love scene would have been the only reason I'd watch this piece of shit! If it were up to me it would be Sharon Stone eating out another woman for an hour and a half. The only person complaining about this movie would be Michael Douglas demanding his role be put back into the film."
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| 3 |  |
Paxton | 52 23rd |
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If you're going to brutally murder someone with an icepick, the least you could do is have sex with them. And a movie is born!
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| 3 |  |
karamazov. | 60 80th |
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Beautifully lit & shot film from Verhoeven about more assholes, but, I thought for the first hour, a total slog, w/ PV sadly in what I assumed to be 'craftsman mode' [think De Palma, Mann, Wyler, et al.]. But, boy, that last half!: Once it got rolling, w/ its obscenely over-the-top Goldsmith score, gratuitous sex, & tasteless manipulations that would embarrass even De Palma or Hitchcock, I remembered why PV is brilliant & like no other. Paul, darling, I should n'r 've doubted for a second. ?
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| 2 |  |
Ytadel | 3 28th |
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Just rewatched for the first time in well over a decade. In this era of generally sexually sterile cinema (where even supposedly "erotic" films like Fifty Shades feel safe for middle schoolers), I can appreciate this film for just being a flat-out filthy sex movie. But in all of its thriller aspects it is very generic and often even boring. Minus Douglas's star power and Jan de Bont's beautiful Die Hard-reminiscent cinematography nothing would indicate this isn't straight-to-Cinemax.
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| 2 |  |
angrypierre | 11 3rd |
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Any film that relies on controversy as much as this one has probably neglecting something else. Namely the story, the characters, and pretty much anything else that could've elevated this over a run-of-the-mill, channel 5 soft porn film.
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| 2 | webdw | 80 84th |
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Another modern day fly & the spider movie [Double Indemnity and Body Heat are excellent alternatives]. One of Stone's best efforts and Douglas plays the highly defective cop well. Good plot and some twists.
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| 2 |  |
andagh | 67 30th |
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One of the best shot and tensest bad movies ever. Felt like Vertigo, except Vertigo wasn't stupid.
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| 2 |  |
DavidJohnson | 85 79th |
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A solid neo-noir thriller. It is very noir esque. Sharon Stone plays a great femme fatale. Michael Douglas is equally as good. I disagree with people who say that it's just softcore porn. The nudity and sexuality and intregral to the plot. My only real problem with the movie is the ending. They literally fade to black, and then come back and ruin the ambiguity and show everyone who actually did it. They should have left it ambiguous, would have made it a lot more memorable.
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| 2 | mkellins | 40 21st |
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Verhoeven's wet dream pays homage to Vertigo but sadly falls far behind. The plot is something you might expect from a cheap detective story. It's entertaining enough during the first view, but gives nothing to go back to. Stone's performance may be good by porn film standards, but I don't really get what all the praise is about.
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| 2 |  |
mattorama12 | 73 71st |
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I think it would be easy to dismiss this is as the epitome of a cheesy erotic thriller, but I think that really sells it short. There are so many winks and nods about the tropes on display, it's really just another example of Verhoeven's satire that is often (perhaps intentionally) taken at face value.
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| 2 |  |
Kuroel | 90 98th |
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I hate erotic thrillers. I can think of no other genre as boring, appealing to the lowest common denominators possible. Yet, this movie offers so intense chemistry between the cat and the mouse that it was simply intoxicating to watch. Oh, how I wish the last shot had been omitted. It unnecessarily ruins certain aspects of the movie and any future rewatches.
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| 2 |  |
Yiannos | 75 84th |
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The impact that Basic Instinct had on release has been inevitably lost with time, but it's a scintillating noir-thriller that still has the capacity to shock, and it has lost none of its lurid thrills. Stone is superb in her star making role as a manipulative 'black widow' who ensnares Douglas in her knotty web, and while Eszterhas' script has holes, Verhoeven, with the help of Goldsmith, creates a rich seductive mood of danger and mystery that's emotionally coherent and erotically charged.
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| 1 |  |
fudgieb | 91 75th |
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i really like this movie. especially Sharon Stone. I was only 13 when I first saw it. I was in love.
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| 1 | idiot27000 | 75 49th |
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An effective thriller with a very exceptional performance from Sharon Stone. The plot falls short in the end and isn't nearly as inventive as you hoped it would be, but you'll be thourougly entertained.
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| 1 | JoshStew06 | 62 36th |
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Solid thriller, that tries a little too hard to be sexy, but Sharon Stone definitely is. It's a little cheesy, but can be very entertaining and involving.
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| 1 |  |
BattleToad | 69 31st |
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What was once a unique thriller has now been spoofed and copied to the point that it has run dry, but Basic Instinct was once a highly controversial movie. The story is suspenseful, but it can be difficult to take seriously due to some over the top performances and gratuitous sex scenes and foul language. Ugh!
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| 1 |  |
BBBD | 50 17th |
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Lots of sex/nudity of course, but the real fun comes from trying to tally how many times they say "fuck." Almost as much fun as trying to keep a body count in "Commando."
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| 1 |  |
twincinema | 85 85th |
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Stone dominates this film. This is pure Verhoeven, in a way setting up his next film, Showgirls. I may have bumped this up in score because of how much I love erotic thrillers.
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| 1 |  |
Stain | 100 95th |
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I love how gaudy and sensationalistic this is; if John Waters ever gets big stars and a big budget, he might make something very much like this. I won't say that I find Catherine Tramell believable, exactly, or much of the plot... but why I *do* believe in this film is that it is an only slightly exaggerated picture of how stupid and corrupt supposedly smart, well-educated people are... in, well, every environment. Those of you who are under 18 who think you are cynical *now* are in for a shock
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| 1 |  |
amerigo | 80 68th |
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It's something of a classic--a classic that straddles the line between explicit content and softcore pornography and rides it for a full two hours. It relies heavily on the seduction aspect and is intrinsically shallow. But for what it's worth, it's an important film in cinema and entertaining enough flick.
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| 1 |  |
elsapon | 90 77th |
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Clever, intense, perfect execution.
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| 1 | pompousass | 0 12th |
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Ludicrously plotted, ludicrously acted, ludicrously staged, with "torrid" love scenes that more closely resemble pro wrestling matches.
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| 1 |  |
Ocelot | 40 31st |
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Better than Fatal Attraction in that it seems to at least is open about its schlockiness, but it's not dumb enough to revel in how dumb it is. It's mostly just Michael Douglas getting mouth cancer interspersed with possibly the worst cop banter in movie history. It was cool to see George Costanza's boss get killed, I guess.
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| 1 |  |
JohnSandwich | 80 84th |
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FAP FAP REVOLUTION
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| 1 |  |
mwgerb | 56 56th |
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A highly entertaining thriller that is a product of the basic instincts of the male id: violence, drugs, alcohol, and gratuitous sex. It makes it seem like all Berkeley psych majors turn into serial killers, though.
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| 1 | Adurra | 75 72nd |
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Essa é a Sharon Stone que gosto
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| 1 |  |
billkerwin | 80 42nd |
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Stylish and perverse--in a goody way.
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| 1 |  |
Cinema_Asia | 50 12th |
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Sharon Stone shows her cooch. That's the only noteworthy thing about this film.
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| 1 |  |
Hofschneider | 72 36th |
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"Say it... more flirtatious" (every director's note on set)
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| 1 |  |
nobamba | 75 83rd |
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I don't understand the hate for this movie. Lots of other movies are well known for specific scenes to the point of over-reference or parody. Other movies are difficult to rewatch because of known twists that don't add up the second time around. Lots of critically acclaimed movies probably could have done without sex scenes. This is a suspenseful noir-ish film that is at least comparable to other suspense mystery thrillers. I enjoy smart villains.
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| Average Percentile 45.14% from 5872 Ratings |  |