Basic Instinct 2

A painting prominently displayed in this misbegotten sequel to Paul Verhoeven's steamy 1992 thriller—about a California cop fatally attracted to a femme fatale murder suspect—bears the legend 'I smell blood.' But viewers of Michael Caton-Jones' Basic Instinct 2 are likely to smell something quite different. Sharon Stone, still physically striking but demonstrating precious little thespian development, reprises her career-making role as predatory novelist Catherine Tramell, now living in London but getting into as much trouble as she did stateside. A titillating credit sequence—running some eight minutes—finds her in a car with a soccer player, pleasuring herself while speeding along city streets (no mean feat, given the manual transmission) before crashing into the Thames. He drowns and she escapes, but she's brought up on murder charges. After a court-appointed psychiatrist diagnoses her as a dangerous risk addict, she's released on one of those pesky technicalities, and before long—in a plot turn that strains credulity—becomes his patient and seduces him. From here, the tale grows increasingly convoluted and absurd, with bodies and red herrings piling up while Tramell toys with the shrink…and everyone else in sight. Unfortunately, Basic Instinct 2 just doesn't measure up to its predecessor as an enjoyably trashy popcorn flick. Not recommended. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary with director Michael Caton-Jones, 18 minutes of deleted scenes including an alternate ending (18 min.), an 11-minute 'Between the Sheets' 'making-of' featurette, and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a useless sequel.] (F. Swietek) [Blu-ray Review—Dec. 11, 2018—MVD Entertainment Group, 114 min., R, Blu-ray: $34.99—Making its latest appearance on Blu-ray, 2006’s Basic Instinct 2 features a fine transfer with DTS-HD 5.1 audio. Extras include audio commentary by director Michael Canton-Jones, deleted scenes (16 min.), a 'Between the Sheets' behind-the-scenes featurette (11 min.), and a brief alternate ending. Bottom line: for those who missed this when it was first released on Blu-ray, here’s your chance to miss it again.]