Basic Instinct

Theatrical Release Date: 1992 03 20 (USA)

UPC: 012236044307

Studio: Live/Artisan

MPAA Rating: R   Contains:[Violence, Nudity, Strong Sexual Content, Not For Children, Profanity]

Summary: This cold, stylish erotic-thriller grossed over $100 million at the box-office despite vigorous protests at its depiction of gays and women. The shocking opening sequence features a graphic sexual encounter involving a rock-star bound with a white Hermes scarf by an unidentified blond woman. Despite the fact that the scene ends with a bloody icepick murder (horrifyingly realized by makeup artist Rob Bottin), Hermes scarves quickly sold out at stores nationwide. This seeming paradox is at the heart of the film's appeal, as it mixes perverse sexuality and erotic bloodshed in a manner common to European thrillers (director Paul Verhoeven had done it himself in 1979's marvelous De Vierde Man) but mostly taboo in America. The plot concerns Catherine Tramell (Sharon Stone), a successful bisexual mystery writer who may also be a ruthless murderer. Everyone close to Catherine dies, and troubled policeman Nick Curran (Michael Douglas) must find out why. In the process, Nick becomes sexually involved with both Catherine and police psychiatrist Beth Gardner (Jeanne Tripplehorn), while the bodies begin piling up and Catherine turns the cat-and-mouse game around on Nick. Verhoeven and screenwriter Joe Eszterhas -- who was paid $3 million for the script -- keep the tension ratcheted up throughout, even during the frequent sex scenes, which carry a violent edge reminiscent of the Italian thrillers of Dario Argento. The film's most notorious scene, a police interrogation in which Catherine makes drooling idiots out of her captors by revealing that she is not wearing underwear, became a cultural touchstone and was widely imitated and parodied. Sharon Stone, meanwhile, was embarrassed to the point that she claimed Verhoeven had aimed lights on strategic locations without her knowledge. George Dzundza and Dorothy Malone co-star. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

Category: Thriller

Awards: Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama – null Best Original Score – null Best Editing – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Score – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Original Score – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Most Desirable Female – MTV Movie Awards Best Actress – MTV Movie Awards

Features: English captioning
Interactive menus
Scene access
Production notes
Cast and crew bios
Theatrical trailer
Descriptive video service for the visually impaired

Basic Instinct

Format: DVD

Release Date: 08/27/1997

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Cinemascope, 1.33:1 Pre-1954 Standard

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1, DDS Dolby Digital Surround

Runtime: 129 Minutes

Sides: 2

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English,Spanish

Subtitles: English,French,Spanish

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Jump to a Scene
0. Jump to a Scene
1. Opening Credits [2:45]
2. Johnny Boz and the Ice Pick [1:28]
3. A Retired Rock 'n' Roll Star [2:58]
4. His and Her Picassos [1:06]
5. Roxy [1:13]
6. Catherine Tramell [3:43]
7. Therapy Session [2:11]
8. The Facts [1:45]
9. Love Hurts [:27]
10. A Devious Diabolical Mind [2:07]
11. The Prime Suspect [4:23]
12. Interrogation [5:12]
13. Beating the Machine [2:43]
14. Black Jack Shooter [3:14]
15. Her Favorite Patient [3:10]
16. Shrunk in the Head [1:00]
17. Following Her Lead [5:14]
18. Hazel Dobkins [1:30]
19. Rough Edges [4:44]
20. Confidential File [2:00]
21. Friendly Little Therapist [2:36]
22. Shot at Close Range [1:21]
23. Curran Suspended [3:21]
24. A Possible Wacko [1:13]
25. A Shooter without a Gun [1:31]
26. What Do You Want...Catherine? [4:30]
27. Catherine at Play [3:23]
28. Basic Instinct [4:13]
29. "You Like Watching, Don't You?" [2:08]
30. The Beach [2:30]
31. An Old City Cowboy [3:40]
32. The Black Lotus [4:13]
33. Psychiatric Evaluation [1:58]
34. Consoling Catherine [2:18]
35. No Luck with Women [1:25]
36. Fixing Her Family [2:05]
37. School Records [:34]
38. Hanging out with Murderers [1:18]
39. Who is Lisa Hoberman? [:59]
40. College Experiments [2:16]
41. What Happened at Berkeley [2:25]
42. A Second Chance [2:02]
43. A New Twist [2:05]
44. Some Kind of Joke [2:09]
45. Long Lost Roommate [1:25]
46. Gus Gets In [2:03]
47. Somebody Has to Die [1:46]
48. The Pieces Fit [2:54]
49. Minks and Rug Rats [4:53]
50. End Credits [4:51]
Jump to a Scene
0. Jump to a Scene
50. End Credits [4:51]
1. Opening Credits [2:45]
2. Johnny Boz and the Ice Pick [1:28]
3. A Retired Rock 'n' Roll Star [2:58]
4. His and Her Picassos [1:06]
5. Roxy [1:13]
6. Catherine Tramell [3:43]
7. Therapy Session [2:11]
8. The Facts [1:45]
9. Love Hurts [:27]
10. A Devious Diabolical Mind [2:07]
11. The Prime Suspect [4:23]
12. Interrogation [5:12]
13. Beating the Machine [2:43]
14. Black Jack Shooter [3:14]
15. Her Favorite Patient [3:10]
16. Shrunk in the Head [1:00]
17. Following Her Lead [5:14]
18. Hazel Dobkins [1:30]
19. Rough Edges [4:44]
20. Confidential File [2:00]
21. Friendly Little Therapist [2:36]
22. Shot at Close Range [1:21]
23. Curran Suspended [3:21]
24. A Possible Wacko [1:13]
25. A Shooter without a Gun [1:31]
26. What Do You Want...Catherine? [4:30]
27. Catherine at Play [3:23]
28. Basic Instinct [4:13]
29. "You Like Watching, Don't You?" [2:08]
30. The Beach [2:30]
31. An Old City Cowboy [3:40]
32. The Black Lotus [4:13]
33. Psychiatric Evaluation [1:58]
34. Consoling Catherine [2:18]
35. No Luck with Women [1:25]
36. Fixing Her Family [2:05]
37. School Records [:34]
38. Hanging out with Murderers [1:18]
39. Who is Lisa Hoberman? [:59]
40. College Experiments [2:16]
41. What Happened at Berkeley [2:25]
42. A Second Chance [2:02]
43. A New Twist [2:05]
44. Some Kind of Joke [2:09]
45. Long Lost Roommate [1:25]
46. Gus Gets In [2:03]
47. Somebody Has to Die [1:46]
48. The Pieces Fit [2:54]
49. Minks and Rug Rats [4:53]

Matthew Doberman

Yes, Sharon Stone uncrosses her legs and shows the world. . .well, metaphors aren't really appropriate here. If you don't know about the 1990s' most scandalous single second of film, then you probably might want to watch Basic Instinct just to stay up on your cultural knowledge. The film is indeed scandalous: It's hard to argue that it doesn't toe the line on soft-porn, and it's easy to see why the film sat so uneasily with many lesbian- and gay-rights supporters. What's more, Basic Instinct's mix of graphic sex with violence raised the ire of the few film and social critics who hadn't already weighed in on the matter. Assuming a morally neutral stance on the controversy, however, this is a darn good thriller. Director Paul Verhoeven and writer Joe Esterhas, the team who would later give birth to the monstrous Showgirls, demonstrate many of the skills they displayed in their more acclaimed films. And it would be unfair to remember Stone's career-making performance as merely minutes of flesh. It's hard to imagine anyone who could play her calculating, stark, and stunning character better. In a thematic sense, she fulfills the oft-paraphrased, debatably sexist notion that men may control the world, but a capable woman can control any man. The ending is a bit of a cheat, and may leave the viewer feeling manipulated. However, a thriller's job is to engross its viewers with an engaging mystery, and in this respect, Basic Instinct is very successful. Assuming you're not easily shocked, you will most certainly enjoy it -- and depending on what you're, um, looking for, keep in mind that the unrated version has even more scandalous shots. ~ Matthew Doberman, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Bill Cable  Actor 
Mary Pat Gleason  Actor 
Jack McGee  Actor 
Byron Berline  Actor 
Peter Appel  Actor 
Juanita Jennings  Actor 
Mitch Pileggi  Actor 
Stephen Rowe  Actor 
Julie Bond  Actor 
Michael David Lally  Actor 
James Rebhorn  Actor 
William Duff-Griffin  Actor 
Irene Olga Lopez  Actor 
Eric Poppick  Actor 
Freda Foh Shen  Actor 
Bradford English  Actor 
Keith McDaniel  Actor 
Howard Feuer  Actor 
Michael Halton  Actor 
David Wells  Actor 
Adilah Barnes  Actor 
Alan Marshall  Producer 
Joe Eszterhas  Screenwriter 
Jerry Goldsmith  Composer (Music Score) 
Mario Kassar  Executive Producer 
Paul Verhoeven  Director 
Gary Goldman  Screenwriter 
Michael Douglas  Actor 
Sharon Stone  Actor 
George Dzundza  Actor 
Jeanne Tripplehorn  Actor 
Denis Arndt  Actor 
Leilani Sarelle  Actor 
Bruce A. Young  Actor 
Chelcie Ross  Actor 
Dorothy Malone  Actor 
Wayne Knight  Actor 
Daniel Von Bargen  Actor 
Stephen Tobolowsky  Actor 
Benjamin Mouton  Actor 

Country: USA