Basic Instinct 2 (2006)

Novelist Catherine Tramell is once again in trouble with the law, and Scotland Yard appoints psychiatrist Dr. Michael Glass to evaluate her. Though, like Detective Nick Curran before him, Glass is entranced by Tramell and lured into a seductive game.

Director:

Michael Caton-Jones

Writers:

Leora Barish, Henry Bean

Stars:

Sharon Stone, David Morrissey, David Thewlis

8 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Stan Collymore	...	Kevin Franks
Sharon Stone	...	Catherine Tramell
Neil Maskell	...	Detective Ferguson
David Thewlis	...	Roy Washburn
Jan Chappell	...	Solicitor
David Morrissey	...	Michael Glass
Terence Harvey	...	Henry Rose
Hugh Dancy	...	Adam Towers
Ellen Thomas	...	Prosecutor
Mark Sangster	...	Court Reporter One
Tim Berrington	...	Court Reporter Two
Indira Varma	...	Denise Glass
Charlotte Rampling	...	Milena Gardosh
Heathcote Williams	...	Jakob Gerst
Flora Montgomery	...	Michelle Broadwin

Storyline

Crime novelist Catherine Tramell is living in London, and becomes the center of police investigation (yet again) when her football player boyfriend drowns in a car accident and it is revealed that he was already dead because of a drug overdose before Tramell drove the car into water. Police psychoanalyst Dr. Michael Glass is called for examining Tramell, and is intrigued by the seductive and manipulative woman. On the other hand , his friend Det. Roy Washburn is sure Tramell is guilty. Tramell asks Glass to treat her for her 'risk addiction' problem, and with each therapy session , Glass gets more and more suspicious about her intentions. As more and more murders are committed, including that of Glass's ex-wife, Glass becomes obsessed with proving Tramell's guilt even though the evidence is contradictory .

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Plot Keywords:

sex | erotic thriller | consensual sex | female female kiss | lesbian kiss | 

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Taglines:

Sometimes Obsession Can Be Murder

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong sexuality, nudity, violence, language and some drug content

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Movie Channel [United States] Sony Pictures [United States]

Country:

UK Germany Spain USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 March 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Risk Addiction

Filming Locations:

Berwick Street, Soho, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$70,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£487,031 (United Kingdom), 2 April 2006, Limited Release

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,201,420, 2 April 2006

Gross USA:

$5,971,336

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$38,629,478

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), C-2 Pictures, Intermedia Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min 116 min (unrated extended cut)

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Paul Verhoeven considered directing the project for some time before moving on to Dutch-language projects when it first started production.

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Goofs

When the detective picks up Michael to go to a murder scene, we can see that Michael has not shaven for at least a day. When he steps in the car you can see right away that he is clean shaven.

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Quotes

Jakob Gerst: So we've been considering those who wish to control others through their insecurity and their narcissism. To study Nietzsche psychobiographically may seem naive. Wasn't it Nietzsche's work itself, which through deconstructive and post-structuralist readings induced the death of psychobiography?

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Alternate Versions

As with the first film, the US version was cut in the sex scenes because the MPAA threatened the film with a NC-17 rating.

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Connections

Referenced in The Cinema Snob: To Catch a Yeti (2014)

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Soundtracks

Violin Concerto No. 5 - Tempo di Menuetto
Written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Featured Violin Solo performed by Rolf Wilson

User Reviews

It is now fashionable to trash "Basic Instinct 2" even before you see it.

It seems that it is becoming fashionable to rip "Basic Instinct 2," to the point that a significant part of the audience (including critics) found it terrible even before it was released. It seems even more fashionable to trash Sharon Stone who—like all of us—is now fourteen years older, and—unlike most of us—still looks wonderful. First comments on this movie were so vicious that I had to see for myself. In my opinion, this sequel is not nearly as good as the original film, but is not as bad as most comments pretend. Michael Caton-Jones is not Paul Verhoeven, neither Henry Bean and Leora Barish are Joe Eszterhas. "Basic Instinct 2" is just an entertaining, average thriller, and besides the addition of Jerry Goldsmith original score, keeps little resemblance to its predecessor. Even Stone gives her character a different dimension, creating a lustful, devilish Catherine Trimell, who can perfectly well rank among other monsters like Hannibal Lecter. She is an intelligent actress who is not afraid of taking risks and can play with camp at her leisure. Unfortunately, she seems to be the main target for those who enjoy trashing this flick. She became too successful, too much of a main icon, and like all those actors who have reached that level, her time has arrived and she is now bound to be destroyed by Hollywood audiences.

The rest of the cast is outstanding, giving performances that are far better than the material deserves. David Morrissey is a much better actor and by far more interesting than Michael Douglas: his acting is flawless, giving a dense, complex dimension to an otherwise one dimensional character. Since he has more screen time and is the axis of the movie, he can keep your attention from beginning to end.

I am not recommending "Basic Instinct 2" as a great movie; I am just expressing my disagreement with most of the comments on this site and my conviction that agendas other than the movie itself are shaping the opinion of most spectators.