Basic Instinct  (1992)    TriStar/Suspense-Thriller    RT: 128 minutes    Unrated Version (language, graphic violence, strong sexual content, graphic nudity, drug and alcohol abuse)    Director: Paul Verhoeven    Screenplay: Joe Eszterhas    Music: Jerry Goldsmith    Cinematography: Jan de Bont    Release date: March 20, 1992 (US)    Cast: Michael Douglas, Sharon Stone, George Dzundza, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Dennis Arndt, Leilani Sarelle, Bruce A. Young, Chelcie Ross, Dorothy Malone, Wayne Knight, Daniel von Bargen, Stephen Tobolowski, Benjamin Mouton, Jack McGee, Bill Cable, William Duff-Griffin, James Rebhorn, Stephen Rowe, Mitch Pileggi, Mary Pat Gleason.    Box Office: $117.7 million (US)/$352.9 million (World)

Rating: ****

 Would Basic Instinct have been such a hit if it wasn’t surrounded by controversy over its content? Let me hold off on answering that until the end of the review.

 After initially being slapped with an NC-17 by the MPAA, the studio pressured director Paul Verhoeven (RoboCop, Total Recall) to cut 45 seconds in order to gain an R rating. It was still pretty hot stuff. The rating situation was only part of it. Gay activists decried Basic Instinct for its offensive depiction of lesbians as homicidal maniacs. They publicly protested the film, even giving away the ending.

 I made it a point to see Basic Instinct opening day so I could see what all the fuss was about. It turns out the gays needn’t have been concerned as the film’s heterosexual characters, especially star Michael Douglas (Fatal Attraction), are shown in an equally negative light.  Everybody comes out looking bad in this sexy and stylish neo-noir thriller about a San Francisco detective investigating the brutal murder of a retired rock star and becoming sexually involved in a torrid affair with the prime suspect, an enigmatic mystery writer (Stone, Total Recall).

 Detective Nick Curran (Douglas) is trying to get his life back on track after accidentally shooting two tourists to death while high on cocaine. He no longer drinks, uses drug or smokes and attends regular therapy sessions with police psychologist Beth Garner (Tripplehorn, The Firm) with whom he once had an affair. His latest assignment has him investigating the vicious ice pick murder of rocker-turned-nightclub owner Johnny Boz. The last person to see him alive is Catherine Tramell (Stone) who openly admits that their relationship was purely sexual. Curran and his partner Gus (Dzundza, No Way Out) bring her in for questioning upon learning that one of her novels concerns a retired rock star murdered in exactly the same fashion. Her icy and manipulative demeanor suggests that she could very likely be the killer. It could also be that somebody is trying to frame Catherine. She’s very intelligent and impossible to read, but that doesn’t stop Curran from becoming infatuated with the bisexual crime novelist.

 Imagine my delight when I got my hands on the unrated version of Basic Instinct containing all the censored material. I’ll bet you’d like to know how it differs from the version that played in theaters in spring ’92. The differences are as follows:

-the opening murder is more graphically violent, we actually see the killer stabbing the victim in the eye.

-the sex scene between Curran and Beth is rougher and more sexually explicit.

-the post-nightclub sex scene between Curran and Catherine is more sexually explicit and she’s seen fully nude.

-a murder in the climactic scene is more graphically violent, blood and gore flies around as the killer repeatedly stabs the victim in the neck.

I have to admit that I was shocked the first time I watched this version of the film. It really does make for a more visceral experience.

 Suspenseful and well-crafted, Basic Instinct is one of the best thrillers of the 90s. Screenwriter Joe Eszterhas (Jagged Edge) certainly knows how to write an effective thriller and create memorable characters. Some of the dialogue is just priceless in the way it walks the line between brilliant and perfectly awful. Curran, at one point, refers to Catherine as the “f**k of the century”. I love it! Stone gets off several great lines as well. Then there’s the infamous interrogation room scene. Peek-a-boo, I see you! If you’ve seen the movie, you know what I’m talking about.

 Stone positively smolders as the sexy suspected killer. She’s sexy and dangerous, the perfect femme fatale for the 90s. Douglas delivers an intense performance as Curran who becomes more unhinged the deeper he gets involved with the wicked Catherine. The chemistry between the two leads is tangible.

 Speaking in terms of aesthetics, Basic Instinct is a work of art. Jerry Goldsmith’s mood-setting score perfectly augments the suspense. The cinematography by Jan de Bont is ideal for the lurid goings-on. It’s like a Hitchcock movie with hardcore sex scenes. Subtlety does not factor in at any point.

 Now back to my original question. Would Basic Instinct have been as successful without all the controversy? Yes, absolutely! Audiences love an effective thriller and will show up regardless. They especially flock to those with a shock of an ending (e.g. No Way Out). Verhoeven keeps you guessing until the very last shot and beyond the final fade-out. It’s a great movie.