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DVD Mystery-Suspense
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Written by Abbie Bernstein
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Tuesday, 16 December 2003 |
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title:
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Basic Instinct |
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studio:
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Live Entertainment |
| MPAA rating: |
R |
| starring: |
Michael Douglas, Sharon Stone, George Dzundza, Jeanne Tripplehorn |
| release year: |
1992 |
| film rating: |
Three-and-a-half stars |
| reviewed by: |
Abbie Bernstein |
There are a lot of really annoying things about 'Basic Instinct,' but
for a reviewer, the most irksome is this: it's an instance of genuinely
stylish, smart technique put in the service of a truly silly story.
Director Paul Verhoeven has snappy, breathless pacing and visual style
to burn, aided by cinematographer Jan De Bont (who went on to direct
the equally good-looking 'Speed' and 'Twister'). However, cinematic
flair stretches only so far.
In 'Basic Instinct,' Michael Douglas plays San Francisco homicide
detective Nick Curran, who crosses paths with gorgeous and wealthy
murder suspect Catherine Trammell (Sharon Stone). Catherine loves to
have sex with men and women and may or may not be a serial killer who
describes her crimes in the novels she writes. Nick falls under her
spell, but will he meet a bloody end?
So far, so good for classic film noir. The problem is largely in Joe
Eszterhas' script. The dialogue, the characterizations, the motivations
and the plot developments all make one question how much time he's
spent observing actual human beings. A number of gay media watchdog
groups were disturbed by 'Basic Instinct' at the time of its theatrical
release, but in fairness to the filmmakers, heterosexual men are
depicted as being equally dangerous, irrational and infinitely dumber
than the bisexual women they encounter here.
This in turn brings us to the film's second problem. 'Basic Instinct'
has been sold on the basis of its sexiness, or, more specifically, the
novelty of having the female lead in a big-budget thriller flash her
genitalia at the camera. If you want to go directly to the big moment,
skip ahead to Chapter 12. Yes, it's a nice bit of naughtiness, but it's
not substantial enough to build a whole 129-minute film around.
While Douglas makes his slightly bent cop seem convincingly obsessed by
Stone's temptress, he's so grim about it that the seduction scenes
between them are all but drained of fun--they're sexual without being
really sexy. As the implausibilities mount up (to go into what they are
would give away most of the twists--suffice to say that nearly all of
the professional characters in the story are both inept and unethical),
it's harder and harder to care about the outcome, not exactly the
feeling a suspense thriller ought to engender.
One very interesting aspect of the DVD release is the inclusion of
descriptive video service for the vision-impaired. This audio option
(along with regular English or Spanish dialogue tracks) provides a
friendly, passionate-sounding female voice who describes all the action
for us, along with the physical appearance and behavior of the
characters. When she talks about their emotions, the narrator
frequently (literally) reads a lot more into the inner lives of these
people than is evident onscreen; it would have been edifying to see the
movie she's telling us about.
| more details |
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sound format:
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English Dolby Digital Surround 5.1; Spanish Dolby Stereo |
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aspect ratio(s):
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Widescreen 2.35:1 & Standard Aspect Ratio: 1:3:3 |
| special features: |
Digital
Mastering; Descriptive Video Service (Narration) for the Visually
Impaired; Interactive Menus; Scene Access; Cast and Crew Biographies;
Theatrical Trailer |
| comments: |
email us here... |
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| reference system |
| DVD player: |
Kenwood DV-403 |
| receiver: |
Kenwood VR-407 |
| main speakers: |
Paradigm Atom |
| center speaker: |
Paradigm CC-170 |
| rear speakers: |
Paradigm ADP-70 |
| subwoofer: |
Paradigm PDR-10 |
| monitor: |
27-inch Toshiba |
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