Basic Instinct (DVD, 2003, Special Edition - Rated R)

Michael Douglas (Nick aka Shooter) is an alcoholic detective in San Francisco.
Sharon Stone (Catherine Trammell) an extremely overtly sensuous and beautiful crime writing novelist, is Nick's new possible serial killer to investigate.

Almost immediately, Catherine becomes the prime suspect who is capable of manipulating Nick, who she calls Shooter. She's investigated his life for her book and getting into his mind and under his skin. He's shot and killed before and is still under police psychiatric care. Tramell plays on this shooter killer aspect of Nick's life.

What I found disturbing about this film is the lousy portrayal of Catherine's romantic relationship with Roxie (Leilani Sharelle); plus, the fact that it is called "Lesbian." It is not Lesbian, it is a kinky sexual relationship between two same-gender people and that is all it is. Once again, the director and film depicts a casual same-gender sexual affair as Lesbian, deviant, and unstable. With one of the characters being mentally off beat. That is why I didn't give this marvelous suspense an excellent rating. If stories are going to include same-gender relationships, then portray them as they typically are or don't call them Lesbian: committed, loving, and stable relationships. Roxie is jealous of all men in Catherine's life but likes to watch Catherine having sex with them, anyway.

Catherine is composing her latest novel about a murder quite similar to the one Nick is investigating. More murders, as described in her current text, about a drunken detective in love with a serial killer keep occurring. Nick's ex-lover and police psychiatrist (Jeanne Tripplehorn) doesn't help Nick much by profiling Catherine as the serial killer. But she's got a motive: she's still in love with Nick and pretends to do anything she can to help him. But it's all fake.

Nick's detective partner (George Dzundza) is truly concerned about his and Catherine’s fast developing sensuous relatio1nship. Stone and Douglas are near perfectly matched actors for the film and demonstrate an admirable sensuous chemistry. There is rape (between Tripplehorn and Douglas) and nudity (by both Stone and Douglas) in the film. So this triller is rated R for good reason.