(Sharon Stone leaves her panties at home. Goes commando. Makes the world fall in love with her.)
CAST: Michael Douglas, Sharon Stone, George Dzundza, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Leilani Sarelle, Denis Arndt, Bruce A. Young, Dorothy Malone, Stephen Tobolowsky.
DIRECTOR: Paul Verhoeven
WARNING: Some SPOILERS and seriously questionable icepick usage right up ahead...
"A brutal murder. A brilliant killer. And the cop who can't resist the danger..."
- poster tagline for BASIC INSTINCT
I remember the first time I heard about BASIC INSTINCT. It was 1990, and I was reading PEOPLE magazine or something. The article reported on then-hot screenwriter Joe Eszterhas (JAGGED EDGE, SLIVER, BETRAYED) scoring a $ 3 million pay-day for his script - which was about a San Francisco homicide detective who finds himself being drawn, like a moth to the flame, to the beautiful prime suspect in the brutal ice-pick murder of a retired rock and roll star. The woman is a novelist who: (1) is icy and mysterious, (2) was dating the victim, and (3) recently wrote about the murder of an, ahem, retired rock and roll star with, double ahem, an ice pick. Is the woman the killer? Or is someone setting her up? My reaction was somewhere along the cool and logical lines of: "WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS BULLSHIT!?!?!"
See, growing up I wanted to be a screenwriter - like many film geeks - and one of my "prized" scripts was called STILETTO. It was a mystery/thriller about a New York homicide detective who finds himself drawn, like a moth to the flame, to the beautiful prime suspect in a series of brutal stiletto slayings of Manhattan men. The woman is a music video director who: (1) is icy and mysterious, (2) was dating all of the victims at one time or another, and (3) directed a music video wherein a stiletto is used to stab a man tied to a bed - the same way all her ex-boyfriends were subsequently killed. Is the woman the killer? Or is someone setting her up? Needless to say, I was a bit miffed. I mean, not that STILETTO would ever have gotten made even if BASIC INSTINCT had never seen the light of the day. But still, it's nice to dream, eh?
Knowing there was no earthly way Joe Eszterhas could've read my script for STILETTO - given he was in L.A. and I was in Asia - I just shrugged and chalked it up to one of life's numerous fucked-up coincidences -and moved on. Naturally, I was eager to see how BASIC INSTINCT would turn out - and getting a vicarious thrill out of imagining it was STILETTO. By the time I moved back to the States in 1991, casting was underway.
That first article I read in PEOPLE had mentioned Mel Gibson and Michelle Pfeiffer being considered as, respectively, Nick Curran, the detective, and Catherine Trammell, the potentially-lethal woman whose spell he falls under. Eventually, Michael Douglas landed the role of Nick. The part of Catherine, however, proved to be much more difficult to cast. As conceived and written, Catherine was supposed to be seductive, intelligent, cool, calculating, playful, enigmatic, ruthless, kind, tender, and vulnerable - all at the same time. In short, it was a complex and fascinating part. Unfortunately, the script also called for extensive nudity and sex scenes. This is what caused Pfeiffer to pass on it.
After Michelle Pfeiffer turned down the role of Catherine Trammell, an astonishingly long list of actresses were supposedly considered: Kim Basinger, Kelly Lynch, Julia Roberts, Demi Moore, Jodie Foster, Mariel Hemingway, Brooke Shields, Meg Ryan, Debra Winger, Greta Scacchi, Geena Davis, Ellen Barkin, Kelly McGillis, and Emma Thompson - that I know of. In the end, all these talented women reportedly passed on the role because of the nudity required - and the sexual situations that Catherine and Nick enacted in the script. Would anyone ever take the role of Catherine?
Enter Sharon Stone. Up until this point, Stone had been quietly and patiently toiling in B-movies and had recently garnered some attention in the supporting role of Arnold Schwarzenegger's treacherous wife in TOTAL RECALL (1990). Tall, blonde, and with a hypnotic beauty that could go cool, icy, or warm at a moment's notice - and then back again, Stone was perfect for the role of Catherine Trammell. Unfortunately, the producers wanted an A-lister and, at the time, Stone was decidedly B-list. But things usually unfold the way they should, and she eventually wound up with the role...
... and the rest is history.
BASIC INSTINCT opens with a couple having some seriously hot sex in a bedroom that totally looks like a porno set. The woman has blonde hair that hides her face. She rolls over on top of the guy - who looks flabby and old but, hey, he's obviously rich and might have a huge dick. Anyway, they slide down that awesome home-stretch to Orgasm Nirvana. But, just as they're about to make a home-run that would register on the Richter scale and permanently curl their toes and make their eyes roll back into their heads, the blonde chick pulls out an ice-pick from under the sheets and..... Well, let's just say that it gets messy - in more ways than one.
The victim is Johnny Boz (Bill Cable), and is a respected San Francisco businessman who was friends with the Mayor and once a rock and roll star. Naturally, the SFPD take a great interest in the case. Detective Nick Curran (Michael Douglas) is the top dick (ha ha) on the case, despite having some issues with Internal Affairs, and starts sniffing along with his partner, Gus (George Dzundza). The trail leads to the last person who evidently saw Boz alive: his sometime-girlfriend Catherine Trammell (Sharon Stone). Further research uncovers that: (1) Catherine is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of UC Berkley with (2) degrees in Psychology and Literature; (3) inherited assets amounting to $110 million from her dead parents; (4) is bisexual and has a hot girlfriend named Roxy (Leilani Sarelle); (5) is a published novelist whose last novel featured (6) an, ahem, respected business man who was once a rock and roll star who also (7) gets murdered during sex with his girlfriend.
Hmmmm. Coincidence?
Needless to say, the SFPD take an even greater interest in Catherine. Nick and Gus bring her in for questioning, and she willingly complies. Obviously, Nick and his posse of bad-ass detectives are planning to intimidate Ms. Trammell into spilling the beans about Boz's murder. Unfortunately, these jackasses fail to take into consideration just how clever and seductive our dear Catherine is. You see, Catherine, as a general rule and matter of highest principle, does not wear panties - and she makes this abundantly clear to the troglodytes interrogating her by uncrossing her legs at a strategic juncture of the session. Needless to say, after glimpsing her, ahem, hidden treasure the guys are pretty much putty in her hands. Catherine's charms even work on Polygraph machines, apparently, because the one they use on her practically jizzes out a report that reads: "She is innocent. Now please strap my electrodes between her thighs this time. Thanks."
Ostensibly cleared of any involvement with Boz's death, Catherine pirouettes around the cops and fairly gloats with glee. Just to rub things in, she cons Nick into giving her a ride home. Just before dashing out into the rain, she seductively reminds Nick that she's not wearing panties - never have, never will. Which, if you're a hot chick dealing with your average hetero male, is all you need to say to basically turn him into your lapdog.
Our not-so-good detective continues to pursue Catherine, though, convinced of her guilt. But is he really doing his job? Or is he just attracted to her and using the investigation as an excuse to be in her orbit? Is Catherine really the killer? Or is Roxy killing all of her men? Is Nick next? And what role does Beth (Jeanne Tripplehorn), Nick's psychologist ex-girlfriend, have in the mystery? Will Gus get punctured by an ice pick to let some of his fat escape? Did anyone have a real orgasm during the making of this movie?
Find out for yourselves. Just make sure to turn the volume down during the sex scenes because the neighbors might come over to: (1) complain, (2) spy on you, or (3) ask to join in.
BUT, SERIOUSLY: Evoking both Hitchcockian and Argento-esque flavors, BASIC INSTINCT is the kind of film that is seriously elevated by the technical skill both in front and behind the camera. The script by Joe Eszterhas is well-written with vivid characters and sharp dialogue, but the wrong director and leads could have easily punctured the whole affair and highlighted the story's weaknesses. However, director Paul Verhoeven brings superb craftsmanship and visual style to the proceedings, making the film feel kinetic and tense - at all times, even the quieter moments. He is aided immeasurably by the late genius Jerry Goldsmith's vibrant and lush score. Beautiful, foreboding, seductive, and unforgettable, this is a score to seek out and buy. Wonderfully atmospheric music that gives the film class and feeling.
Another reason the film is better than it might have been is its two leads. Michael Douglas brings a compelling edge to the role of Nick in very much the same way he played the lead role in BLACK RAIN a few years earlier. Nick Curran, just like Nick Conklin from that earlier film, is not meant to be a virtuous White Knight - but a flawed anti-hero who just might be as twisted as the antagonist. And Michael Douglas is one of the few actors who can pull off this type of performance without making the character too hard or soft - and keep audience sympathy and interest. Russell Crowe is another one.
Matching Douglas, scene for scene (and, frankly, stealing a lot of them), is Sharon Stone - who is simply breathtaking as Catherine. You know an actor has succeeded in bringing a character to life when you just can't see anyone else playing the role. Needless to say, I cannot imagine any of the other actresses mentioned earlier playing Catherine in the same hypnotic and unforgettable way that Sharon Stone does. In her hands, Catherine is the perfect blend of icy calculation, dry humor, and hidden softness. Stone doesn't make the mistake of making the character either too inscrutable or too transparent. Instead, she wisely portrays Catherine as a partially-opened book, allowing us to catch fleeting glimpses of the humanity and vulnerability beneath the cool, mysterious surface - but never allowing us (or Nick) to get too close. It's a dazzling performance, and a tricky one - as Stone has to walk the tightrope between not permitting the audience to completely warm to her, but also keeping them intrigued. And it works. Just like Nick, we fall under her spell - and can't resist her pull. Like a moth to the flame.
The supporting cast is strong, the stand-outs being George Dzundza and Jeanne Tripplehorn as, respectively, Nick's good-natured partner, and the police psychologist who knows more about Catherine than she's telling. Leilani Sarelle as Roxy also makes the most of her small but pivotal role. The various actors playing Nick's detective colleagues are all competent and convincing.
Bottom line: the stars aligned when BASIC INSTINCT was made. One false move, and the whole thing could have come crashing down. Instead, we get a strong thriller that gives us a truly memorable femme fatale - and a truly sensual and seductive movie experience. Good news for audiences. Bad news for STILETTO.
Oh, well...
