Inaccurately labeled a suspense thriller, BI is really more of a classic film noir. A cop with a tragic flaw (guilt over killing innocent tourists) is exploited by a beautiful woman who is the major suspect in a string of murders. He falls off the wagon in every way, losing his job, reverting to alcohol, cigarettes and anger mis-management. The shadows are every bit as dark in San Francisco and Stinson Beach as they were in the classic noirs of 1950s LA, and the music and mood (and dangerous blondes) purposely conjure up a Hitchcockian milieu. The plot – not just Joe Estzerhas's best but arguably his only really strong showing – is wonderfully complex but always comprehensible; there's no Big Sleep-like descent into total confusion. Michael Douglas is great and the other actors more than capable, with the exception of Sharon Stone. But her contribution is very real because BI trumps its genre (and its cousin, the Hollywood thriller) by exhibiting an unmatched level of eroticism – or just plain, enjoyable prurience. Douglas is seduced by Stone and her charms and so are we, sure of ourselves at first, then casting aside doubts as we play a dangerous game with the most fatale of noir-ish femmes. The movie probably couldn't have been made from a native American's script, or directed by anyone but a European, or acted by any Hollywood ladies except ingénues with reputations to make, not protect.
Review of Basic Instinct
