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Basic Instinct (1992) | Ranked Top 9% · CriticCrunch

Basic Instinct backdrop

Basic Instinct

Movie1992·128 min

Basic Instinct

Directed by Paul Verhoeven

Thriller Mystery

An Oscar-nominated thriller mystery film directed by Paul Verhoeven.

◈ CrunchScore

Top 9%

of all movies · weighted by audience size & source agreement

★ TMDB Audience Rating

6.9/10

4K ratings

About Basic Instinct

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.

Pacing: Brisk (6 of 9)
Tone: Dark (2 of 9)
Intensity: Intense (7 of 9)
Complexity: Approachable (4 of 9)
Humor: Serious (1 of 9)
Scale: Personal (4 of 9)
Spirit: Haunting (3 of 9)
Texture: Stylized, Tense
Story Tags: obsession, betrayal, san francisco, romantic partners, detective investigator, femme fatale, investigation procedural, cat and mouse, slow burn reveal, serial killer, queer romance

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Details

Director: Paul Verhoeven
Language: English

Cast

Michael Douglas, Sharon Stone, George Dzundza

⬡Explore cast & crew→

Awards

◆Oscar Nominee — Best Film Editing (1992)◆Oscar Nominee — Best Original Score (1992)

Where to Watch Basic Instinct

Checked 13 hours ago

2 rent/buy

Available to rent or buy

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$3.79Rent

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$4.99Buy

Not currently included with any streaming subscription.

Availability may change. Verify with the streaming service.

How Basic Instinct Ranks

All movies

Top 9%

1990s movies

Top 9%

Thriller movies

Top 12%

1990s Thriller movies

Top 8%

★Paul Verhoeven films#3 of 14

Top 9% All movies.

the vibe

Basic Instinct Vibe

What it feels like

briskdarkintenseapproachableseriouspersonalhaunting

stylized

tense

What it's about

investigation proceduralcat & mouseslow-burn revealobsessionbetrayaldetective investigatorfemme fataleromantic partnersserial killerqueer romanceSan Francisco

pacing

brisk 6/9brisk 6/9

tone

dark 2/9dark 2/9

intensity

intense 7/9intense 7/9

complexity

approachable 4/9clear 4/9

humor

serious 1/9serious 1/9

scale

personal 4/9personal 4/9

spirit

haunting 3/9haunting 3/9

texture

stylizedstyled