Basic Instinct (1992)
My previous knowledge on this was basically only the infamous upskirt scene. I expected an erotic sleazy thriller, which I got, but I didn’t expect the opening scene to be so bloody and violent. I have somehow missed that it is directed by Verhoeven and then many things fell into place.
I like how the basic plot is more a less a parody on itself and Verhoeven’s approach is this super heightened reality - not to the level of Starship Troopers but still up there - yet it doesn’t become silly and it takes itself serious for what it is. Sharon Stone as the extremely attractive femme fatale that uses her “powers” to manipulate everyone around her is a delight to watch. I also liked how we are kept in a perpetual uncertainty on who did it. They even acknowledge that it is too obvious that is herself committing the murders depicted in her book, but it is also a great smokescreen. And then the end turns everything around again providing “proof” for another hidden story, but there is still something off and unclear. Even after the final frame. It is stylish and playful.
Rating: 4