Basic Instinct

Dutch bad boy Paul Verhoeven could get away with subversive films about power, capitalism and technology in violent action movies like Robocop and Total Recall. But when he turned his attention to sex — first with Basic Instinct and then Showgirls (1995) — he had a rougher ride.

Basic Instinct (1992) was a commercial hit, the apogee of the erotic thriller cycle which started with Fatal Attraction in the 80s. But critics were growing skeptical of million dollar screenwriter Joe Eszterhas (who wrote both films) and the queer community protested the film’s politically incorrect portrait of a bisexual psychopath. (Eszterhas actually apologized.) Nevertheless, the film had persuasive champions, including academic Camille Paglia, who heralded a transgressive feminist text and extolled the way Sharon Stone’s murder suspect Catherine Trammell controlled a roomful of cops by uncrossing her legs. Verhoeven cited Hitchcock’s Vertigo as his inspiration though Dario Argento might be nearest the mark. You be the judge.

Content Considerations: Sexual violence

Sharon Stone’s ice-cold temptress proved that not only were lesbians smarter than straight men, they could drive faster and fuck harder. For some reason, gay rights groups thought this was homophobic, and protested the film’s release. Curious.

Gay Times (2011)

If ever there was a Hollywood film that celebrated a genuine spirit of not giving a fuck what people think, this is it.

Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Senses of Cinema

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