Basic Instinct 2

Stars : Sharon Stone, David Morrissey, David Thewlis, Charlotte Rampling
Directed By: Michael Caton-Jones
Distributed by: MGM/20th Century Fox, C2 Pictures

Back in 1992, Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone produced a cinematic sensation with Basic Instinct. Under the wily direction of Paul Verhoeven, they created a steamy psycho-sexual thriller masterpiece that has spawned not only copycat films, but whole new subgenres. Certainly one of the very few films I have ever awarded 10, it's a hard act to follow. It was therefore surprisingly pleasing to see that in the case of Basic Instinct 2, the apple hasn't fallen as far from the tree as many may have thought. Sharon Stone is the only cast member returning from the original, but Stone's Catherine Tremell is the only character that needs to return, she is the film. Director Caton-Jones has replaced Verhoeven's night-time San Francisco with a sunset London, a change of scenery that is both unexpected and not entirely unwelcome. Gone are the wise-cracking San Fran detectives, replaced with hard-nosed British coppers. Whilst at times it does feel a little bit like an episode of The Bill, Tremell will always be Tremell, this movie could have been shot in South Africa on the Serengeti and it still would have worked. The film is not about location, it's about character, and perhaps the change of scenery is to prove that wherever Catherine Tremell goes, she's just as manipulative, and just as alluring.

The film opens with crime novelist Tremell (Stone) behind the wheel of a sleek black sports car, a drugged out star footballer (played by real life Aston Villa star Stan Collymore), by her side. At 110 miles per hour, the pair are engaging in... acts of a sensitive nature, when the car spins off a bridge and into the Thames. Whilst Tremell manages to escape, the footballer, Kevin Franks, drowns, his post mortem revealing he was paralysed by a dangerous narcotic, THC. Tremell does not deny snorting cocaine with Franks, but claims to not know how the paralytic substance entered his system. Charged with murder, Tremell has to be psychologically assessed in order to see if she can claim bail. Dr Michael Glass (Morrissey) is assigned to Tremell's case, and, after an assessment which is a screaming copy of the original's famous police interview scene, (minus the leg crossing), Glass determines that Tremell is unfit to be released back into society. She suffers from a risk addiction, he claims, an addiction that can only be satisfied by putting herself in more and more dangerous situations, until ultimately she meets her death. Despite this, Tremell is released and the charges are dropped after a key witness perjures himself. Tremell then approaches Dr. Glass, with a view to him becoming her personal psychoanalyst. He accepts the offer, and, just like Detective Nick Curran (Michael Douglas), 14 years earlier, becomes enfatuated with Tremell. It is then the film really kicks into gear, with Tremell beginning yet another game of her classic cat and mouse routine.

Stone is nothing short of brilliant. She channels the spirit of Catherine Tremell as if she last played her yesterday, her performance doesn't skip a beat. Mesmerising onscreen, and still believable as a siren at 48, she is a remarkable actress. It's no wonder she was so determined to see a sequel made, the role is her greatest triumph, and the one for which she shall always be remembered. It is therefore mystifying as to why she has been in so many duds between the two Basic Instinct films, (Catwoman, Sphere, The Muse, The Mighty). That said she has had some critically acclaimed roles, for films such as Casino and Broken Flowers, but for someone with an IQ reported to be 153, she can't spot too many hits. Regardless of what happens outside these movies, she plays Tremell to perfection, with every facial expression, line, or giggle delivered with a gentle mix of sensual allure and sinister psychotic undertone, a delicate balance! David Morrissey, as her latest victim, is fairly convincing, but his inability to connect with Stone is one of the film's downsides. The chemistry isn't quite there, and as a result his obsession, though reasonably convincing, doesn't have so stable a foundation, when he attempts to portray it. David Thewlis is suitably brash and vulgar as the shady cop Roy Washburn, who much like Jeanne Tripplehorn's Beth Garner in the original, provides a smoke screen for Tremell and her plans. Thewlis is one of the film's better casting choices, he is convincing and appropriately ambiguous as Washburn, and is in some ways the audience's voice in the film. Charlotte Rampling is a pleasing distraction as Dr. Glass's colleague and confidante, Dr. Milena Gardosch. She is another who has a potent older woman charm, and is the one who tries to find a method to Glass's madness. Her interaction with Stone in the film is powerful, and it is perhaps between their characters that the best chemistry exists.

There are many ways to look at the Basic Instinct films, and weigh up their pros and cons. Criticism comes from many quarters for weak dialogue and excessive violence or sex. It depends on how you interpret the films, as to how you deal with the dialogue or sex or violence. If it is assumed that these films always take themselves seriously, then the dialogue does appear cliche and a bit weak. ("Some men prefer blondes, others prefer killers"). It can be argued however that such lines are meant to make us laugh, that the film has a self awareness that allows it to make fun of itself at times. At its heart BI2 is a thriller, but with almost a black comedic streak. To fully appreciate the films is to understand that they don't always take themselves seriously, that the excess is representative of the excess of the society in which the films are produced. The sex is to provide realism, the scenes are more realistic than traditional Hollywood fare, so some dismiss the films as bordering on pornographic, particularly the original. As Stone herself argues, few women walk around if they get out of bed naked, in their private homes, in the middle of the night, with a sheet wrapped around them covering all the right places. Basic Instinct pushed the boundaries, and whilst Basic Instinct 2 doesn't push them any further, it can still have the darkly humourous undertone of the original.( The ridiculous and blatantly phallic shape of Dr. Glass's building is a classic example of this.) Ultimately, the question that needs to be addressed in any review, is what will the audience get out of the film, and whether they should go and see it. A great lead performance, solid supporting acting, and a tight storyline are what to expect, and the film is thoroughly recommended. If nothing else, curiosity alone should draw you to the cinema. The ability of Stone's Tremell to draw in any man or woman, anytime, anywhere, and manipulate them at her will, is a rare phenomenon in cinema. The final say will go to Dr. Beth Garner (Jeanne Tripplehorn), from Basic Instinct, as she implores Nick Curran to come to his senses, "She's evil!......She's brilliant!".

out of ten

Reviewed by Nick Bailey

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