Basic Instinct (Amazon Video)

Where most of the attempts to reinvent film noir fail, this film succeeds. The concept of transgression is translated into a modernized setting in a way that embraces film noir values, but at the same time feels utterly non-derivative. Much of the plotting and dialogue is wonderfully complex and subtle, and Verhoeven gives the whole thing a uniquely perverse spin. The music is worth a viewing by itself, as it is stunningly effective. In a film like this, you don't expect a score so lush and romantic, but it works. The film has perhaps two knocks. It is, when all is said and done, a whodunit, and carries all the negatives of that genre, the worst of which is the plethora of hints dropped to implicate this character or that. The other knock is more serious. There is a giant hole in the story which becomes apparent at the very end. From the get-go, Trammel tells Nick that he (the detective in her story) is going to fall in love with the wrong woman and she's going to kill him. And of...Read more

   I love this movie. It feels like Paul Verhoeven studied his Hitchcock and brought a team of very talented filmmakers together to make the ultimate Hitchcockian inspired sex thriller.— THE WRITING —At the time of its release, Joe Eszterhas' script prompted a bidding war that would make him the highest paid screenwriter at the time. White some may mock the trashy quality of it, you have to admit it's very enjoyable trashy writing, with a few memorable quotes to fill your life with.— THE ACTING —Sharon Stone was born to play Catherine Tramell. It was meant to be. The beautiful, blonde, seductress, who's rich, smart, and knows exactly how to work people. Instant iconic character. Everyone else is perfectly fine in their roles.— THE CINEMATOGRAPHY —Jan de Bont, who would go on to make 'Speed' and 'Twister' was the cinematographer for this film. And boy does that man know how to frame and move a camera...Read more