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Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 20 Critics What's this?

User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 45 Ratings

  • Starring: Michael Douglas, Sharon Stone
  • Summary: 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]
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 20
  2. Negative: 8 out of 20
  1. Reviewed by: Staff (Not Credited)
    90
    Grade-A pulp fiction. This erotically charged thriller about the search for an ice-pick murderer in San Francisco rivets attention through its sleek style, attractive cast doing and thinking kinky things, and story, which is as weirdly implausible as it is intensely visceral.
  2. 75
    The film is for horny pups of all ages who relish the memory of reading stroke books under the covers with a flashlight. Verhoeven has spent $49 million to reproduce that dirty little thrill on the big screen.
  3. 50
    The film is like a crossword puzzle. It keeps your interest until you solve it. Then it's just a worthless scrap with the spaces filled in.
  4. Verhoeven's lurid thriller has moments of welcome self-parody, but most of the action manages to be sensationalistic, homophobic, and tedious at the same time. [20 Mar 1992, Arts, p.12]

See all 20 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 15
  2. Negative: 6 out of 15
  1. Basic Instinct broke new ground like no other thriller - it combined erotic, full-on action with great performances, sexy characters and a breath-taking soundtrack. Verhoeven ramped up his in-your-face style with original cinematography using new and different camera angles which were confronting but always highly seductive. Sharon Stone delivers an empowered performance unlike any female character seen before. She is hot, sexy, beguiling and enticing, with occasional unexpected vulnerability. The film is visually attractive and, while slightly predictable, takes you on a fantastic ride right till the last minute. Far and away the most powerful character is Jerry Goldsmith's brilliant, exceptional, original soundtrack - always reminding you of the risks and pleasures inherent in the storyline. His music is complex, fresh and daring from the opening scene to the credits. Expand
  2. ChristianT
    8
    A masterpiece of trash cinema. Over the top in every aspect, overacted, overheated, with gross characters with no redeeming qualities; but still, it's great fun, AND the most important thing, it doesn't take itself seriously. Expand
  3. Here we have a typical erotic-thriller which works (Besides the plot holes, and the unbelievable actions some characters make), because Sharon Stone and Michael Douglas were looking good, and had some screen-chemistry. The script (while nothing special) creates enough tension to keep you watch the whole movie, but the ending is confusing and disappointing. Expand
  4. TonyB.
    2
    Glossy trash with not a believable minute in it, "Basic Instinct" attracted customers who should have spent their money more wisely. The dance hall scene, so over the top, is a scream! Expand

See all 15 User Reviews

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