Basic Instinct

Basic Instinct
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Paul Verhoeven
Produced by	Alan Marshall
Written by	Joe Eszterhas
Starring	Michael Douglas Sharon Stone George Dzundza Jeanne Tripplehorn
Music by	Jerry Goldsmith
Cinematography	Jan de Bont
Edited by	Frank J. Urioste
Production company	Carolco Pictures StudioCanal
Distributed by	TriStar Pictures
Release date	March 20, 1992 (1992-03-20) (US) May 8, 1992 (1992-05-08) (UK)
Running time	128 minutes
Country	United States United Kingdom France
Language	English
Budget	$49 million
Box office	$352.9 million

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Basic Instinct is a 1992 erotic thriller film directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Joe Eszterhas, and starring Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone. The film follows a police detective, Nick Curran (Douglas), who is investigating the brutal murder of a wealthy rock star. During the investigation Curran becomes involved in a torrid and intense relationship with the prime suspect, Catherine Tramell (Stone), an enigmatic writer.

Even before its release, Basic Instinct generated heated controversy due to its overt sexuality and graphic depiction of violence. It was strongly opposed by gay rights activists, who criticized the film's depiction of homosexual relationships and the portrayal of a bisexual woman as a murderous narcissistic psychopath. In a 2006 interview, Stone alleged that the infamous leg-crossing scene in which her vulva was exposed was filmed without her knowledge.

Despite initial critical negativity and public protest, Basic Instinct became one of the most financially successful films of the 1990s, grossing $352 million worldwide. Several versions of the film have been released on videocassette, DVD, and Blu-ray including a director's cut with extended footage previously unseen in North American cinemas. The film has contemporarily been recognized for its groundbreaking depictions of sexuality in mainstream Hollywood cinema, and has been referred to by scholars as "a neo-noir masterpiece that plays with, and transgresses, the narrative rules of film noir." A 2006 sequel, Basic Instinct 2 starring Stone was made without Verhoeven's involvement and received negative reviews from critics, performing poorly at the box office.

A retired rock star, Johnny Boz, is stabbed to death with an ice pick during sex by a mysterious blonde woman at his apartment. Homicide detective Nick Curran investigates, and the only suspect is Catherine Tramell, Boz's bisexual girlfriend and a crime novelist who has written a novel that mirrors the crime. It is concluded that either Catherine herself did it or someone trying to frame her out of spite. Tramell is uncooperative and taunting in the investigation, smoking in the interrogation room and exposing her bare genitalia in front of the officers. She presents alibis and passes a lie detector test. Nick discovers that Catherine has a habit of befriending murderers, including her girlfriend Roxy, who is later shown to have murdered several young boys on impulse, and Hazel Dobkins, who murdered her family.