Basic Instinct

While caught red-handed during an affair, a rock star takes an icepick to the abdomen courtesy of a mystery blonde. With echoes of Vertigo, the troubled cop (Douglas) investigating the murder develops an obsession with the dangerously alluring prime suspect (Stone), turning a simple leg cross into the ultimate power play. Verhoeven’s notoriously kinky thriller puts a sleek, postmodern spin on Hitchcock’s pet themes. While it was denounced by LGBTQ organizations and community leaders, the film was championed by critics Amy Taubin, B. Ruby Rich, and Camille Paglia.