Basic Instinct

A closer look at the story

Former rock star Johnny Boz is savagely killed, and the case goes to San Francisco police detective Nick Curran. As the investigation unfolds, suspicion settles on Boz's girlfriend, the crime novelist Catherine Tramell, because the murder matches a scene she wrote in her latest book down to the last detail. An exceptionally clever, self-assured and manipulative woman, Catherine always seems to be playing by her own rules. Nick is all but certain she is guilty, yet he cannot find a single piece of evidence to prove it. Soon a dangerous, seductive battle of wits begins between them. As they are drawn to each other, contradictory evidence pushes Nick to reconsider his suspicions about Catherine. Directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Joe Eszterhas, the 128-minute 1992 film stars Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone in an erotic thriller.