Basic
Instinct 2 is garbage, but it’s compulsively watchable garbage. From the
opening scene in which Sharon Stone’s risk (and sex) addicted vixen Catherine
Tramell barrels down London streets in her sports car while demanding that her
wasted passenger of a boyfriend finger her, I knew I was in for a special time
at the movies.
Basic
Instinct 2 is, of course, a sequel to the Paul Verhoeven trash classic in which
sex wasn’t merely a part of the plot–it was the star. Well, there is
sex to be found in this follow-up, but intercourse is more of a supporting player
this time around, and in fact, for those who’ve seen that infamous Basic
Instinct 2 featurette that’s been circulating online, you may be disappointed
to discover that it represents all the naughty stuff this film has to offer.
This
sequel takes place in London and follows Catherine Tramell’s psychiatric
sessions with a recently divorced doctor who quickly becomes obsessed with the
tantalizing thriller novelist. Before long, folks who Dr. Michael Glass isn’t
too fond of, begin dropping like flies prompting the good doctor to look at Tramell
as a suspect. The problem is, Glass is so infatuated by the femme fatale that
the sex keeps getting in the way.
Basic
Instinct 2 pulsates with the same sort of sleazy, silly, preposterous verve of
the first film, only director Michael Caton -Jones (Rob Roy) isn’t really
in his element here, whereas Paul Verhoeven felt right at home. The original Basic
Instinct was a slickly produced thriller and brought soft core to the mainstream.
This picture by comparison, tries to trick the audience in a more conventional
manner. The end result is a really stupid movie with a couple of nifty surprises
along the way.
Sharon
Stone is back as the naughty heroine, and she’s struggled for quite a while
to get this movie made. It’s quite ironic to me that Ms. Stone made such
a big stink about the legendary beaver shot in the first picture, but now she
seems eager to show more of her business. For what it’s worth, Stone is fearless
and for a women in her late 40's, she’s got quite the body. Sadly, however,
her performance feels more like a parody of the role that placed her indelibly
on the map rather than a complete embodiment of the part.
Michael
Douglas is nowhere to be found. Instead, the focus is on psychiatrist Michael
Glass (played by David Morrissey–brother of British rock sensation Morrissey),
and quite honestly, he’s not half bad. By the looks of the trailer, I thought
he’d be awful, but in the context of the movie, he’s often quite effective.
He plays the “I really should kill her, but I want to screw her more”
moments with palpable intensity and I really enjoyed the way he plays the final
moments of the picture. In a way, this flick is really more about Glass than it
is Catherine Tramell and that’s where Basic Instinct 2 really differs from
the first picture.
The
usually dependable David Thewlis seems to know he’s in a really silly thriller,
so he makes the most of it in a big way as police officer Roy Washburn. Perhaps
too big. Nearly every time he was on screen, I thought I was watching a Naked
Gun movie. Seriously - I thought I was going to pass out from laughter upon watching
the thespian play his last scene.
The
screenplay by Leora Barish and Henry Bean (based on characters created by trash
king Joe Eszterhas) is filled with howlingly bad dialogue and ludicrous situations,
both of which make the film somewhat enjoyable. What’s more, there are actually
a couple of moments that I didn’t see coming (if you’ll pardon the pun).
I also like the way the screenwriters loosely tie events in both films together
all while maintaining a little ambiguity. Yes, the ending is implausible and ridiculous,
but at least it was a surprise.
Basic
Instinct 2 is stupid. It’s really stupid. The thing is though, it falls under
the category of “So dumb, it’s actually kind of entertaining.”
For me anyway. Still, I won’t hold my breath for BI3. If Once is not Enough
- Twice is more than Plenty.
