Basic Instinct (1992)
Explicit content warning
11/08/22 • 55 min
This November is “No Nut November” at Catching Up On Cinema!
All month long, we'll be reviewing erotic thrillers from the 80's and 90's!
This week on Catching Up On Cinema, Trevor does a solo review of Paul Verhoeven's, Basic Instinct (1992)!
Working from a script penned by genre stalwart Joe Esztherhas, Verhoeven's Basic Instinct (1992) represents an acceleration in the ongoing evolution of the then booming erotic thriller subgenre.
Starring Michael Douglas and an up-and-coming Sharon Stone, Basic Instinct is a raunchy neo-noir whodunit.
Profane, explicit, and positively dripping with body fluids at every turn, Basic Instinct is thankfully more than just an expensive fuck film from the 90's.
Brilliantly shot and scored by Jan De Bont and Jerry Goldsmith respectively, and performed with intensity and verve by a who's who of recognizable names and faces, Basic Instinct's only true liability is its (reportedly) $3 million screenplay.
Robbed of momentum in its later stages by the necessity of the whodunit aspect of the narrative taking precedence over the fucking and fighting, Basic Instinct unfortunately allows itself to get bogged down with too many repetitive interrogation sequences in the lead up to its resolution.
A sexy, fun watch, Basic Instinct is not as consistently entertaining or as layered as many of Verhoeven's best mainstream American efforts, however it is effortlessly memorable, and easily a standout among the subgenre.
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This November is “No Nut November” at Catching Up On Cinema!
All month long, we'll be reviewing erotic thrillers from the 80's and 90's!
This week on Catching Up On Cinema, Trevor does a solo review of Paul Verhoeven's, Basic Instinct (1992)!
Working from a script penned by genre stalwart Joe Esztherhas, Verhoeven's Basic Instinct (1992) represents an acceleration in the ongoing evolution of the then booming erotic thriller subgenre.
Starring Michael Douglas and an up-and-coming Sharon Stone, Basic Instinct is a raunchy neo-noir whodunit.
Profane, explicit, and positively dripping with body fluids at every turn, Basic Instinct is thankfully more than just an expensive fuck film from the 90's.
Brilliantly shot and scored by Jan De Bont and Jerry Goldsmith respectively, and performed with intensity and verve by a who's who of recognizable names and faces, Basic Instinct's only true liability is its (reportedly) $3 million screenplay.
Robbed of momentum in its later stages by the necessity of the whodunit aspect of the narrative taking precedence over the fucking and fighting, Basic Instinct unfortunately allows itself to get bogged down with too many repetitive interrogation sequences in the lead up to its resolution.
A sexy, fun watch, Basic Instinct is not as consistently entertaining or as layered as many of Verhoeven's best mainstream American efforts, however it is effortlessly memorable, and easily a standout among the subgenre.
Follow us on Instagram @catchinguponcinema
Follow us on Twitter @CatchingCinema
Like, share, subscribe, and we'll catch you next time!
Previous Episode
Fatal Attraction (1987)
This November is “No Nut November” at Catching Up On Cinema!
All month long, we'll be reviewing erotic thrillers from the 80's and 90's!
This week we kick things off with a review Adrian Lyne's, Fatal Attraction (1987)!
A wildly successful erotic thriller from genre maestro Adrian Lyne, Fatal Attraction (1987) is by no means the first of its kind, however it can easily be pointed to as one of the most important and influential to the mainstream proliferation of the subgenre.
Featuring Michael Douglas, who would soon find himself occupying the enviable role of the poster boy for erotic thriller leading men, as well as the at the time surging Glenn Close, Fatal Attraction (1987) is an exceedingly handsome thriller, in terms of both the aesthetic charms of its cast, as well as in terms of its crisp lighting and cinematography.
In spite of the quality of performance and raw filmmaking talent poured into the film, Fatal Attraction is nevertheless a somewhat strange film to evaluate in 2022.
Featuring a vague portrayal of mental illness in the form of Glenn Close's, Alex, as well an adulterous protagonist in the form of Michael Douglas', Dan, Fatal Attraction's narrative arc and tendency to look up upon the character of Dan in a positive/sympathetic light, may be difficult pills for contemporary audiences to swallow.
In spite of its somewhat dated cultural perspectives, Fatal Attraction is a superior erotic thriller possessed of fantastic production values and engaging drama that never veers into disingenuous melodrama.
An exciting and highly profitable film that would ensure that director, star, and subgenre alike would occupy an important niche in Hollywood for years to come.
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Next Episode
Sliver (1993)
This November is “No Nut November” at Catching Up On Cinema!
All month long, we'll be reviewing erotic thrillers from the 80's and 90's!
This week Trevor does a solo review of Phillip Noyce's, Sliver (1993)!
Released almost exactly one year after her star making turn in the massively successful Basic Instinct (1992), Sliver (1993) saw Sharon Stone return to the erotic thriller subgenre, albeit without the benefit of the one-two punch of Paul Verhoeven's slick and wildly excessive directorial flourishes, and Jan De Bont's sumptuous lighting and lensing.
Once again working from a screenplay penned by genre veteran and Hollywood sleaze maestro, Joe Esztherhas; Sliver sees Sharon Stone cast not a femme fatale as in case of the pairings earlier effort, Basic Instinct, but as a weirdly passive, shy woman that may be more sexually adventurous than even she would care to admit.
A murder-mystery whodunit that often feels utterly uninterested in detective work or suspense building, Sliver somewhat delivers on the eroticism and thrills one would expect from an erotic thriller, however the connective fiber between the elements, so essential to creating an effective and cohesive genre film, are sorely lacking.
Dull and aimless in instances where its handsome and talented cast still have their clothes on, Sliver is not bereft of interesting thematic content or compelling performances, though at the end of the day it all feels very slight and surface level, and sadly doesn't amount to a film that could be considered much more than “adequate” or “serviceable”.
Reportedly a troubled production in the form of the MPAA requiring massive reedits to avoid an NC-17 rating, and negative test audience reactions compelling the producers to insist on changing the identity of the killer and the entire ending well into post-production, Sliver is a film that was restructured within an inch of its life, such that its a small miracle that it was even able to limp its way into theaters as a coherent narrative at all.
Many point to Basic Instinct (1992) as being at or near the pinnacle of the erotic thriller boom of the era, and appropriately enough, Sharon Stone and Joe Esztheras' very next project together, Sliver (1993), would go on to represent the cresting of the wave for the genre.
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