Top 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsMost Popular Video GamesMost Popular Music VideosMost Popular Podcasts
    Release CalendarBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersSundance Film FestivalIndependent Spirit AwardsBlack History MonthSXSWSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Basic Instinct

  • 19921992
  • RR
  • 2h 7m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
204K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
559
80
Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct (1992)
Home Video Trailer from Artisan
Play trailer1:10
2 Videos
99+ Photos
DramaMysteryThriller
A violent police detective investigates a brutal murder that might involve a manipulative and seductive novelist.A violent police detective investigates a brutal murder that might involve a manipulative and seductive novelist.A violent police detective investigates a brutal murder that might involve a manipulative and seductive novelist.
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
204K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
559
80
    • Paul Verhoeven
    • Joe Eszterhas
  • Stars
    • Michael Douglas
    • Sharon Stone
    • George Dzundza
    • Paul Verhoeven
    • Joe Eszterhas
  • Stars
    • Michael Douglas
    • Sharon Stone
    • George Dzundza
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 416User reviews
    • 151Critic reviews
    • 43Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 2 Oscars

    Videos2

    Basic Instinct
    Trailer 1:10
    Watch Basic Instinct
    'Basic Instinct' | Anniversary Mashup
    Clip 1:29
    Watch 'Basic Instinct' | Anniversary Mashup

    Photos160

    Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct (1992)
    Michael Douglas, Mitch Pileggi, and Stephen Rowe in Basic Instinct (1992)
    Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct (1992)
    Paul Verhoeven in Basic Instinct (1992)
    Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct (1992)
    Sharon Stone and David Wells in Basic Instinct (1992)
    Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct (1992)
    Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct (1992)
    Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct (1992)
    Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct (1992)
    Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct (1992)
    Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct (1992)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Michael Douglas
    Michael Douglas
    • Det. Nick Curran
    Sharon Stone
    Sharon Stone
    • Catherine Tramell
    George Dzundza
    George Dzundza
    • Det. Gus Moran
    Jeanne Tripplehorn
    Jeanne Tripplehorn
    • Dr. Beth Garner
    Denis Arndt
    Denis Arndt
    • Lt. Phil Walker
    Leilani Sarelle
    Leilani Sarelle
    • Roxy Hardy
    Bruce A. Young
    Bruce A. Young
    • Det. Sam Andrews
    Chelcie Ross
    Chelcie Ross
    • Captain Talcott
    Dorothy Malone
    Dorothy Malone
    • Hazel Dobkins
    Wayne Knight
    Wayne Knight
    • ADA John Correli
    Daniel von Bargen
    Daniel von Bargen
    • Lt. Martin Nilsen
    • (as Daniel Von Bargen)
    Stephen Tobolowsky
    Stephen Tobolowsky
    • Dr. Lamott
    Benjamin Mouton
    Benjamin Mouton
    • Detective Harrigan
    Jack McGee
    Jack McGee
    • Sheriff
    Bill Cable
    • Johnny Boz
    Stephen Rowe
    • Internal Affairs Investigator
    Mitch Pileggi
    Mitch Pileggi
    • Internal Affairs Investigator
    Mary Pat Gleason
    Mary Pat Gleason
    • Juvenile Officer
      • Paul Verhoeven
      • Joe Eszterhas
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Fatal Attraction
    6.9
    Fatal Attraction
    Basic Instinct 2
    4.4
    Basic Instinct 2
    Indecent Proposal
    6.0
    Indecent Proposal
    Wall Street
    7.3
    Wall Street
    A Perfect Murder
    6.6
    A Perfect Murder
    Disclosure
    6.1
    Disclosure
    The War of the Roses
    6.8
    The War of the Roses
    Falling Down
    7.6
    Falling Down
    Ghost
    7.1
    Ghost
    Unfaithful
    6.7
    Unfaithful
    Wild Things
    6.6
    Wild Things
    Sleeping with the Enemy
    6.2
    Sleeping with the Enemy

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      No body doubles were used in any of the sex scenes.
    • Goofs
      (at around 45 mins) When Nick calls up Hazel Dobkin's police record it states that she was released from San Quentin in 1965. San Quentin has been men only since 1934.
    • Quotes

      Catherine: You know I don't like to wear any underwear, don't you, Nick?

    • Alternate versions
      The European release is much more explicit than the American release (which had to be submitted seven times to the MPAA in order to avoid an NC-17 rating). The European version is available unrated on video in the US. The US version uses alternate, less explicit takes of several scenes to tone down the sex content.
      • The murder of Johnny Boz in the opening scene is more graphic; we see the killer stabbing him in his neck, stabbing him repeatedly in the chest, in the face and we see the ice-pick passing through his nose.
      • The scene where Nick rapes Beth is severely cut in the US version (we see ripping off her underwear and forcing her over the couch, then there's a cut to the two of them lying in bed). In the uncut version Nick pulls down his pants, penetrates Beth from behind and he apparently has an orgasm.
      • The scene where Nick and Catherine make love after going to the disco is longer much more explicit in the uncut version (Nick is seen burying his face between her legs).
    • Connections
      Edited into Y2K (1999)
    • Soundtracks
      Movin' on Up
      Written by Jeff Barry and Ja'net DuBois (as Janet DuBois)

      Courtesy of ELP Communications

    User reviews416

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    sleazy, amoral and worryingly entertaining
    How does one begin a review of what is arguably the most controversial movie of the 90's? Perhaps I should start by saying that although Basic Instinct is complete trash with nothing residing beneath its glitzy surface(despite the claims of Camille Paglia there are NO subliminal meanings and the phallic symbolism of the ice pick is purely coincidental) it's also a riveting psychological thriller with Doublas and Stone providing an impressive double in a refreshingly gripping film.

    I will not go deeply into plot detail, as the story is practically part of hollywood folklore, but in summary volatile cop Nick Curran(Michael Douglas) falls in love with murder suspect Catherine Trammell(Sharon Stone) who may,or may not, have brutally murdered her lover with an ice pick. If the plot sounds familiar its probably due to the fact that Basic Instinct is essentially a combination of writer Joe Eszthera's film 'Jagged Edge' and director Paul Verhoeven's film 'The Fourth Man', both of which had their fair share of sex and fashionable violence. Despite this Basic Instinct still is enjoyable and having seen either of those films will have no affect on the unpredictability of the film.

    At the centre of the film is Stone's performance which is actually quite superb(though in the long run this film's been more of a curse than a blessing to her film career)as although she's easily the least probable femme fatale ever to grace(or poison to be more accurate) the silver screen, Stone plays her with such zeal that we can't take our eyes off her. That said it should also be pointed out that she becomes rather less intriguing after the first 40 minutes when she becomes involved with Michael Douglas, as her character loses a great deal of her mystique and her personality has less bite. Then of course is the infamous scene (which practically every other reviewer has mentioned and I am going to be no exception) where Tramell is being interrogated by the police and coolly turns the tables on them by exploiting their libidos and reducing them to drooling idiots, totally ridiculous but easily the film's best scene and certainly one that is not going to be soon forgotten (no doubt to the chagrin of Sharon Stone).

    The rest of the cast are fine, with Michael Douglas doing the character he does best(the rather thuggish white male who constantly gets involved with the wrong kind of woman), Jeanne Tripplehorn doing an adequate job as Nick's pyschologist and George Dzunda manages to be the only half-way likable character in the movie as Curran's best(and only)friend. Unfortunately Leilani Sarelle is under-used as Catherine Trammell's enigmatic girlfriend(I forgot to mention Catherine's Bi-sexual).

    The film is, of course, not without flaws. No-one (not even the director) could deny that Basic Instinct has such big plot holes you could park a car in them as for some of the events in the film to make sense characters would need to be either clairvoyant or in possession of other-worldly powers. The endings also a bit of a cop out (no I WON'T reveal it) as it was clearly engineered so that it could be easily changed with a single edit if preview audiences were unsatisfied with it.

    It is also impossible to ignore the huge controversey that surrounded the films release with a particulair furor being caused by feminists and lesbians over their portrayal in the film. In truth the jury's still out on wether Basic Instinct is homophobic, but I personally don't think it is as the characters' sexuality is never really an issue although in fairness it is used as a somewhat cheap plot device to titillate the audience. The case made by feminists is much stronger as all the women in the film are portrayed as dubious and potentially dangerous. The main defence against all this is that, frankly, all the characters are unpleasent and devious , with perhaps one exception, and no discrimination is given in any way. The other issue was, of course, the sex scenes which ,although explicit, are really rather passé these days.

    The film is stylishly filmed, expertly paced, brilliantly directed and has a superb music score from Jerrry Goldsmith. I'll give it a high score(by my standards) of 8 out of 10
    helpful•137
    51
    • Jagged-11
    • Aug 3, 2003

    FAQ14

    • What is 'Basic Instinct' about?
    • Is 'Basic Instinct' based on a book?
    • What is the basic instinct?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 20, 1992 (United States)
      • United States
      • France
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • 2930 Vallejo Street, Pacific Heights, San Francisco, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Carolco Pictures
      • Canal+
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 2 hours 7 minutes
      • Dolby SR
      • Dolby Digital

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct (1992)
    Top Gap
    What is the streaming release date of Basic Instinct (1992) in Australia?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.