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Poster for Basic Instinct

Basic Instinct

A brutal murder. A brilliant killer. A cop who can't resist the danger.

1992 · 2h 8m · R Mystery, Thriller
Directed by Paul Verhoeven

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Overview

Catherine, a novelist with an insatiable sexual appetite, becomes a prime suspect when her boyfriend is brutally murdered -- a crime she had described in her latest story.

Director and cast

Critics on Rotten Tomatoes

Top critics, in their words

All reviews
56%
Tomatometer
Rotten

Verhoeven does not explore the dark side, but merely exploits it, and that makes all the difference in the world.

Dave Kehr, Chicago Tribune
Rotten

[The film has] a smug faith in the ability of its own speed, smartness and luxe to wow the yokels.

Richard Schickel, TIME Magazine
Rotten

Slick, clever and entertainingly overheated while you're watching it, Basic Instinct starts to evaporate the second you leave the theater.

John Hartl, Seattle Times
Fresh

The harsh, politically incorrect truth about Basic Instinct is that it's a tantalizing, suspensefully correct thriller.

Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel
Rotten

Basic Instinct is a reminder of the difference between exhilaration and exhaustion, between tension and hysteria, between eroticism and exhibitionism. The line may be fine, but it is real enough to separate the great thrillers from the also-rans.

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

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