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Review
Archives
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Today's
Date is:
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Basic
Instinct (Special Edition)
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Reviewed
by: |
David
Litton |
| Genre: |
Thriller
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| Video: |
2.35:1
widescreen |
| Audio: |
Dolby Surround
2.0, 5.1 |
| Language: |
English,
French |
| Subtitle: |
English,
French, Spanish |
| Length: |
2 hrs, 9
min |
| Rating: |
R |
| Release
Date: |
9/18/01 |
| Studio: |
Artisan
Pictures |
| Commentary:
|
Track with
feminist critic Camille Paglia |
| Documentaries:
|
"Blonde Poison"
on the making of the movie |
| Featurettes:
|
"Cleaning Up Basic Instinct"
comparing TV and theatrical |
| Filmography/Biography:
|
Yes |
|
Interviews: |
No |
| Trailers/TV
Spots: |
Yes |
| Alternate/Deleted
Scenes: |
No |
| Music
Video: |
No |
| Other:
|
Storyboard-to-film
comparisons, photo gallery, production notes |
| Cast
and Crew: |
Sharon Stone,
Michael Douglas, George Dzundza, Jeanne Tripplehorn |
| Screenplay
by: |
Written by:
Joe Eszterhas |
| Produced
by: |
Alan Marshall |
| Directed
By: |
Paul Verhoeven |
| Music: |
Jerry Goldsmith
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| The
Review: |
I'll get
over the formalities and cut right to the chase: "Basic Instinct"
has some great acting by a wonderful cast, and a conceivably
good story, but in the hands of director Paul Verhoeven, who
is well-known for his use of style over substance, the mystery
and psychological inklings fall increasingly short of suspenseful,
leading us up to twist after twist, some of which work, others
that founder. His sense of direction is in the right place,
but the way in which he takes us where he wants us to go is
surprisingly joyless, and without intensity. The film begins,
fittingly enough, with a sex scene, in which a former rock star,
who is now a prestigious community member in San Francisco,
is murdered with an ice pick after intercourse by an unseen
blonde woman. This brings detective Nick Curran (Michael Douglas)
to the attention of the sultry author Catherine Tramell (Sharon
Stone), who was last seen with the murder victim. It also doesn't
help that the murder is an exact reenactment of a similar event
in one of her novels. At first, Curran seems turned off by Tramell's
forthrightness in her testimony of her relationship with the
victim, and is certain that a lie detector test that proves
her innocent is wrong. But as he begins to dig his nails into
clues, he also finds himself mesmerized by her, and by the danger
he feels in playing head games with her as she does with him.
His life begins to take a nose dive: he begins smoking and drinking
again, and becomes so infatuated with Tramell that he becomes
even more determined to prove her innocent. So does all of this
really work? Some elements do, such as the wonderful acting
and sometimes witty dialogue exchanges, but others, such as
ambiguous clues and lurid sex scenes, do not. The movie is worth
it to see the terrific talents of its cast, but take them out
of the equation, and what you have is a skin flick spiced up
with a Hollywood makeover. The movie's two main stars are its
central attractions, featuring some very effective work from
Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone, who play their parts with
a wicked wit and devilish fun. Douglas embodies the obsession
in his character like a pro, using emotion and body language
to confirm Curran's descent into infatuation. Stone steals the
show, not only with her provocative figure shots, but with the
excellent wit she employs in her dialogue. Exchanges between
the two characters are impressive, if not eerie. The murder
mystery is intriguing, for the most part. It keeps us waiting
until the ending, to let us know the final answer that will
solve everything we've been suspecting. Each clue left to us
by the story has two different paths, one that points to another
possible suspect as the killer, and one that points to the until-now
prime suspect Tramell. The final shot answers this question,
but lessens the effect of the picture as a whole because we
come to realize just how much the movie toys with us, leading
us to believe one thing, and then betraying the trust we have
put into Tramell. The movie serves little other purpose other
than to show off director Verhoeven's virtuoso style as he invites
us on a very lurid trip into obsession. He fills the canvas
with over-the-top sex scenes, which do little to enhance the
effect of the film. There are scenes that work nicely, such
as the interrogation scene, in which Tramell coolly shifts in
her chair giving the detectives a clean view of her mid-section;
the shock on their faces is priceless. But the movie also contains
its fair share of gratuitous sex, which comes close to crossing
the boundaries of soft and hard-core erotica. This is more of
a turn-off, and may even provoke snickers rather than a serious
approach. In summation, "Basic Instinct" has all the good parts
of a thriller, but the bad parts outweigh them heavily. The
acting is stellar, while the central plot is full of mystery.
Too bad that Verhoeven trades in a good deal for cheap pornography
and an ending that revokes everything we've been lead to believe
from the beginning. -- |
| Image
and Sound |
Like
any DVD remastering, this one is a winner. Aside from giving
the film a deluge of special features, the image and sound quality
are as good as any DVD marketed today. Images are sharp and
clear, with accurate fleshtones (something this film considers
very important) and vibrant colors. There is little noise or
artifacts, though some are apparent in darker scenes. The soundtrack,
remastered in 5.1 surround, is reserved for the most part, with
mainly dialogue and music to fuel it. The music wraps nicely
into the surrounds and front channels, while car chases offer
up some good deep bass. Dialogue is perfectly centered as well.
A fine DVD that exhibits the best in quality. -- |
| The
Extras |
You
may laugh at the inclusion of a plastic, ice-pick pen that comes
with the special edition DVD of "Basic Instinct," bu the supplemental
material is very interesting, and worth checking out, even if
you don't find the film too appealing. "Blonde Poison" chronicles
the development of the film, as the filmmakers look back on
the project and its affect on viewers. From the beginnings of
the movie, revisions of the script, to the notorious objection
by the gay community on the many characters of the film, the
crew discusses the many tribulations that went into the project,
and I must say, I came out of this with a higher appreciation
for the movie. "Cleaning Up Basic Instinct" is a riot, a humorous
look at the edits of many scenes for television viewing. The
voice dubbing is horrendous, and even the voices themselves
don't match up. A photo gallery serves up some studio stills
and behind-the-scenes photos of the production, while the storyboard
comparisons show us the imagined sequences as the final cut
plays in the corner (interestingly enough, the sex scene's storyboards
are devoid of a final cut sequence). A theatrical trailer, production
notes, and cast and crew bios are also included, and even a
DVD Easter Egg is present; clicking on the ice picks in each
menu takes you to screen tests of the individual actors, which
are something more DVDs should have. This is one of those few
DVDs that makes the movie experience a little better. -- |
| Commentary |
For
this special edition, a commentary by feminist critic Camille
Paglia is included. Paglia discusses, in-depth, the many nuances
of feminism and male dominance being toppled that go on in the
movie; I must say that, after listening to the commentary, I
needed a little shot of testosterone myself. The commentary
is interesting enough to hear someone else's opinion on the
film, but there is a little too much opinionated talk about
feminism. Sure, this is the movie's approach, but at least it
knows better than to throw it in our faces for the duration
of the movie. -- |
| Final
Words: |
"Basic Instinct" isn't a movie that
I did not like; I thought there were some very good things
about it, mainly in the acting and the central mystery. As
the movie came to a close, I didn't particularly care for
the way in which it panned out, but that doesn't keep it from
being interesting in most cases. The DVD betters the experience,
with material that is intriguing and stays in connection with
the source material.
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