Basic Instinct (1992)
68%RT Audience Score: 63%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 2 Oscars
5 wins & 23 nominations total
Unevenly echoing the work of Alfred Hitchcock, Basic Instinct contains a star-making performance from Sharon Stone but is ultimately undone by its problematic, overly lurid plot
Basic Instinct is the kind of movie that makes you want to take a cold shower after watching it. Sharon Stone’s performance is so captivating that you can’t help but be drawn into her web of seduction. Sure, the movie has its flaws, but it’s still a classic that’s worth watching. And let’s be real, who doesn’t love a good erotic neo-noir thriller? Just be warned, you might need to cover your eyes during some of the more graphic scenes.
Production Company(ies)
Distributor
Pioneer Entertainment, Live Video, Columbia Tristar, Live Entertainment
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical, Theatrical (Wide)
Filming Location(s)
2930 Vallejo Street, Pacific Heights, San Francisco, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for strong violence and sensuality, and for drug use and language
Year of Release
1992
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby SR Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:2h 7m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Mar 20, 1992 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 14, 2006
Genre(s)
Mystery & thriller
Keyword(s)
starring Sharon Stone, Michael Douglas, Jeanne Tripplehorn, George Dzundza, Denis Arndt, Leilani Sarelle, directed by Paul Verhoeven, written by Joe Eszterhas, mystery, thriller, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Anton Bitel, Carrie Nelson, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Dave Kehr, Richard Schickel, John Hartl, Martha Ertman, Stephen Silver, Eddie Harrison, Casey Cipriani, Jason Best, Mike Massie, R MPAA rating, crime novelist, suspect, homicide detective, psychologist, murder case, intense relationship, femme fatale, sexual politics, neo-noir, controversial, explicit, twists and turns, guilty pleasure, Vertigo, Alfred Hitchcock, femme fatale, seduction, obsession, power dynamics, open-ended, psychological thriller, sex, violence, intrigue, mystery, suspects, identity, rock star, linked deaths, problematic, lurid plot
Worldwide gross: $352,927,224
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $755,449,741
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 161
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 82,382,742
US/Canada gross: $117,727,224
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $251,998,131
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 252
US/Canada opening weekend: $15,129,385
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $32,384,835
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 407
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $49,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $104,885,752
Production budget ranking: 382
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $56,480,977
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $594,083,011
ROI to date (est.): 368%
ROI ranking: 370
Sharon Stone – Catherine Tramell
George Dzundza – Gus Moran
Jeanne Tripplehorn – Dr. Beth Garner
Denis Arndt – Lt. Philip Walker SFPD
Leilani Sarelle – Roxy
Director(s)
Paul Verhoeven
Writer(s)
Joe Eszterhas
Producer(s)
Alan Marshall
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 2 Oscars
5 wins & 23 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (71) | Top Critics (22) | Fresh (40) | Rotten (31)
…earns its status as what Nick deems “the f*ck of the century”, or at least what Catherine grudgingly concedes to be “a pretty good beginning”, in radicalising the sexual politics of a subgenre more often associated with male privilege.
June 14, 2021
Anton Bitel
Little White Lies
TOP CRITIC
Basic Instinct depicts queerness in the most sinister ways imaginable.
January 12, 2021
Carrie Nelson
Bitch Media
TOP CRITIC
With her high octane gyno-power at full throttle, [Sharon Stone] … commands our attention now as much as she did on the film’s initial release, defiantly holding our gaze if we dare even for a moment let our eyes drift towards anything else.
August 27, 2018
Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
Senses of Cinema
TOP CRITIC
Verhoeven does not explore the dark side, but merely exploits it, and that makes all the difference in the world.
March 25, 2013 | Rating: 1/4
Dave Kehr
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
[The film has] a smug faith in the ability of its own speed, smartness and luxe to wow the yokels.
March 25, 2013
Richard Schickel
TIME Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Slick, clever and entertainingly overheated while you’re watching it, Basic Instinct starts to evaporate the second you leave the theater.
March 25, 2013 | Rating: 2.5/4
John Hartl
Seattle Times
TOP CRITIC
Basic Instinct is the most feminist film I have seen since Thelma and Louise.
May 23, 2022
Martha Ertman
Curve
Beyond that, though, Basic Instinct is best known for sex. (30th anniversary)
March 25, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
Stephen Silver
Tilt Magazine
…a rare example of a blockbuster that’s not aimed at family audiences, but made by a provocateur hoping to shake up attitudes to sex…
June 23, 2021 | Rating: 5/5
Eddie Harrison
film-authority.com
The classic erotic neo-noir thriller…Sure, this one has questionable morals, but at least the woman has all the power.
November 16, 2020
Casey Cipriani
Bustle
Time, sadly, hasn’t been so kind to Douglas. A decade and a half later, the glimpse of his saggy naked bottom after one of the duo’s sex scenes remains shocking.
November 13, 2020
Jason Best
Movie Talk
Even as Verhoeven is pushing buttons and stretching the boundaries of conventionality, he still incorporates artsy filmmaking techniques.
September 9, 2020 | Rating: 8/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins…
Plot
A former rock star, Johnny Boz, is brutally killed during sex, and the case is assigned to detective Nick Curran of the SFPD. During the investigation, Nick meets Catherine Tramell, a crime novelist who was Boz’s girlfriend when he died. Catherine proves to be a very clever and manipulative woman, and though Nick is more or less convinced that she murdered Boz, he is unable to find any evidence. Later, when Nilsen, Nick’s rival in the police, is killed, Nick suspects of Catherine’s involvement in it. He then starts to play a dangerous lust-filled mind game with Catherine to nail her, but as their relationship progresses, the body count rises and contradicting evidences force Nick to start questioning his own suspicions about Catherine’s guilt.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Basic Instinct contains a star-making performance from Sharon Stone.
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