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1992 Films, Blockbuster, Erotic, LGBTQ+ Films, San Francisco, Thriller

Basic Instinct-1992

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Basic Instinct-1992

Director Paul Verhoeven

Starring Michael Douglas, Sharon Stone

Scott’s Review #1,545

Reviewed August 24, 2026

Grade: B+

Basic Instinct (1992), starring Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone, is a titillating thriller like Fatal Attraction (1987), both of which set the tone for many films patterned after it well into the 1990s.

It was the must-see film of 1992 and became a slick, stylistic mega blockbuster hit.

Body of Evidence (1993) and Sliver (1993), starring Madonna and Stone, respectively, are quick examples of the film’s influence.

Plus, Douglas starred in Fatal Attraction, so several films are connected.

With Basic Instinct, there is an immediate, sizzling sexual tension at hand, largely due to Stone’s smoldering kinkiness and bisexuality.

The actor was a relative newcomer at the time and moved to the forefront of Hollywood notoriety mainly due to the controversial full-frontal crotch exposure, which made headlines and shocked millions.

Other controversies surrounded Basic Instinct, which I will get to in a moment.

The film also put director Paul Verhoeven on the map. Unfortunately, he followed up Basic Instinct with the dreadful yet similarly veined film, Showgirls (1995).

The mysterious Catherine Tramell (Stone), a beautiful crime novelist, becomes a suspect when she is linked to the brutal death of a rock star. The dangerous and sensual femme fatale confidently struts her stuff as she toys with local police, leading a game of cat and mouse.

Primarily investigated by San Francisco homicide detective Nick Curran (Douglas), Catherine seduces him into an intense and addictive relationship. At the same time, the murder case becomes increasingly complicated when more seemingly connected deaths occur.

Is Nick’s life in danger? What does the mysterious character named Roxy (Leilani Sarelle) have to do with the central plot?

Besides being known for making Stone an A-list star, the film borrows from the likes of Alfred Hitchcock and Brian De Palma. This is a marvelous treat for fans of those directors.

In particular, Vertigo (1958) and Psycho (1960) clearly influenced it.

The brutal ice-pick murder at the very beginning is a direct nod to the famous shower scene in Psycho, but with the gender roles reversed (a man is killed instead of a woman).

For Vertigo, Catherine Tramell echoes the icy, enigmatic, and stylish blonde archetype seen in Kim Novak, and both films use San Francisco as a moody, atmospheric backdrop.

Finally, a lush, suspenseful musical score by Jerry Goldsmith pays homage to Hitchcock’s frequent composer, Bernard Herrmann.

As for De Palma, his thriller Body Double (1984) deals directly with voyeurism, obsession, and dangerous, manipulative femme fatales. It’s a direct stylistic and thematic stepping stone to Basic Instinct.

The film is enthralling and edge-of-your-seat intense for most of the way and has an unexpected, arguably jaw-dropping twist ending, but after a while it becomes a bit too gimmicky to earn a solid A grade.

It’s almost as if it borrows so much from other films that it lacks a real identity of its own, though it’s still an entertaining and shocking film.

I don’t share the repeated accusations of misogyny and homophobia that have gnawed at the film ever since it was released.

Sure, the killer is a female, and the killer is also bisexual, but that actually makes the events erotic and tinged with sexual energy and unpredictability; perhaps I merely wanted to enjoy the film.

On the other hand, one can argue that the film is boldly feminist. Catherine plays by her own rules and confidently, sometimes callously, consumes her prey.

She rejects traditional female passivity and wields total sexual, financial, and intellectual power over men.

Decades later, feeling slightly dated, mostly because similar films have more longevity, Basic Instinct (1992) nonetheless is recommended mostly for the smoldering chemistry between Douglas and Stone and for the creation of a badass female character.

Oscar Nominations: Best Film Editing, Best Original Score

2019 Films, Comedy, Drama, Independent, Independent Comedy, Independent Drama

Gloria Bell-2019

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Gloria Bell-2019

Director Sebastian Lelio

Starring Julianne Moore, John Turturro

Scott’s Review #924

Reviewed July 29, 2019

Grade: B+

An English remake of the successful 2013 Chilean film, titled Gloria, Gloria Bell (2019) stars Julianne Moore, and the setting is relocated to Los Angeles.

The film is directed by Sebastian Lelio, fresh off a Best Foreign Language Film win for A Fantastic Woman (2017), and both movies contain similar themes of oppression and loneliness.

Preferring the original by only a hair, Gloria Bell is nonetheless a worthy offering with Moore perfectly cast in the title role.

Middle-aged divorcee Gloria Bell (Moore) resides in Los Angeles, working an office job of some respectability, but is unfulfilled. She spends many nights at a nightclub, where she is considered a regular.

The club caters to middle-aged singles who dance and drink while looking for love. When she meets Arnold (John Turturro) one evening and they share a night of passion, the pair begin dating.

However, Gloria realizes that he still supports his ex-wife and grown daughters, which limits his time and commitment to her, leaving her frustrated.

Moore is honest and understated in her performance, and the highlight of the film.

With another casting choice, the character might not have worked so well. She is full of life, singing in her car, attending laughter therapy, and smoking pot in her apartment. She has a warm yet limited relationship with her millennial kids and her ex-husband and his new wife.

Moore gives the character an earnestness and likability that work and get the audience on her side during her trials and tribulations.

This is not to say that Gloria doesn’t occasionally frustrate the audience.

After inviting Arnold to meet the whole crew over dinner and wine at her son’s house, what begins as a meet-and-greet quickly turns into a reminiscing trip down memory lane and whimsical looks at Gloria and her ex’s wedding pictures.

Her disregard for Arnold’s feelings is disappointing, but there is no bad intention behind it.

Gloria has baggage and is caught up in the moment, simply reliving a happier time at the expense of the current moment.

Arnold has his demons and is both likable and unlikable to the audience. Tending to bail on Gloria when either his family requires his assistance or he feels left out, he hardly exhibits grown man behavior or anyone Gloria would want to date.

The first red flag is his confession of being enamored of Gloria over their first dinner date. From there, his on-again-off-again presence makes him the odd man out. Lelio intends to make Gloria the sympathetic one. It’s her movie after all.

Watching A Fantastic Woman sequentially is a wise idea. Numerous comparisons are apparent, beginning with the feelings shared by both central characters.

Both are searching for happiness, but are unsure of how to attain it, especially given that they once had it and it was taken away from them.

Scenes of both characters driving in their cars and singing songs are included, and the look of both films is the same.

Very few comparisons or contrasts can be made between Gloria of 2013 and Gloria Bell of 2019, as both are above average, except that the character is slightly more vivacious in the former than in the latter.

This could be attributed to the Chilean and South American free-thinking and sexual openness compared to the more reserved American way of thinking, but this is merely a suggestion.

It is interesting to note how Lelio remade his film only six years later, rather than another director putting their stamp on it.

Gloria Bell (2019) paints a vivid portrait of a modern woman dealt a bad hand who struggles to find happiness and fulfillment in any way she knows how.

Thanks in large part to Moore’s portrayal and filling the character with kindness and care, she wins over the audience. The character is written as intelligent and interesting, and not desperate in any way for a man; he needs to be the right man.