Sexy, glamorous and provocative, Basic Instinct was one of the most notorious films of the 1990s. It broke new ground for its shocking portrayal of on-screen nudity (galvanised by its famous leg-crossing interrogation scene) despite delivering a plot full of holes and some excruciating dialogue: “He got off before he got offed.”
But Paul Verhoeven’s film was all about star power: the elusive charisma that elevates a one-dimensional part into an iconic role that defines the historical moment. Sharon Stone and Michael Douglas both had bags of it and their assured performances propelled the film to become one of the biggest hits of the decade.
