Basic Instinct 2


Basic Instinct 2 is a 2006 erotic thriller film and the sequel to 1992's Basic Instinct. The film was directed by Michael Caton-Jones and produced by Mario Kassar, Joel B. Michaels and Andrew G. Vajna. The screenplay was by Leora Barish and Henry Bean. It stars Sharon Stone, who reprises her role of crime mystery author Catherine Tramell, and David Morrissey. The film is an international co-production of Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States and Spain producers.
The film follows novelist and suspected serial killer Catherine Tramell, who is once again in trouble with the authorities, this time in Britain in London. Now Scotland Yard appoints psychiatrist Dr. Michael Glass to evaluate her after. As with SFPD Detective Nick Curran in the first film, Dr. Glass becomes a victim of Tramell's seductive but psychological games.
After being in development limbo for several years, the sequel film was finally shot in London from April to August 2005, and was released on 31 March 2006. Following numerous cuts, it was released with an R rating for "strong sexuality, nudity, violence, language, and some drug content". Unlike its predecessor, the film received extremely negative reviews and fell short of commercial expectations.

Plot

Set in London, the film opens with American best-selling author Catherine Tramell in a speeding car with her companion, Kevin Franks, a famous English football star. Tramell takes the man's hand and begins masturbating herself with it, all the while increasing her vehicle's speed. At the point of orgasm, Tramell veers off the road and crashes into the West India Docks in Canary Wharf on the Thames River. She attempts to save her partner but, as she says while being questioned later by the police, "When it came down to it, I guess my life was more important to me than his".
Tramell is interrogated by Scotland Yard Detective Superintendent Roy Washburn, who notes that D-Tubocurarine, which is a neuromuscular blocking agent used to relax muscles during general anaesthesia for medical surgery, was found in her car and in her companion's body, and the companion was not breathing at the time of the crash,, and that a man named "Dicky Pep" said that he sold Tramell "15 milliliters of DTC last Thursday". Tramell counters by saying that this Dicky Pep must be lying because "you've got him on some other charge and he's trying to deal his way out, if he even exists".
Tramell begins therapy sessions with Dr. Michael Glass, who has conducted a court-ordered psychiatric exam and given testimony in her case. Dr. Glass strongly suspects that Tramell is a narcissist incapable of telling the difference between right and wrong. Tramell begins to play mind games with Glass, who becomes increasingly frustrated and intrigued by her. Meanwhile, the journalist boyfriend of Glass's ex-wife, who was in the process of writing a story critical of Glass, is found strangled to death. More murders begin to surface around Dr. Glass, including his own ex-wife, as his obsession with Tramell grows and when his career and life are threatened; he begins to suspect that Tramell is really committing the murders and attempting to frame him for them. Glass increasingly cannot distinguish himself between right and wrong, and the London police begin to suspect him. He confronts Tramell at her apartment where they engage in passionate sex. Tramell gives Glass a copy of the draft of her next novel, titled The Analyst. After reading it, he realises that Tramell has novelised most of the recent events with herself and Glass as characters. A character based on Glass's female colleague, Dr. Milena Gardosh, is depicted as the next murder victim in the novel.
Glass runs to Dr. Gardosh's apartment to warn her, finding Tramell already there. Gardosh informs him that he is no longer in charge of Tramell's therapy and that his license will be revoked. Glass and Gardosh struggle, and she is knocked unconscious. Tramell then threatens Glass with a gun she carries, but Glass takes it away from her. When Detective Superintendent Washburn arrives at the scene, Tramell manipulates Dr. Glass into shooting him.
In the final scene, Tramell pays a visit to Dr. Glass now at a local mental hospital where he has been institutionalised, and he learns from her that the novel has become a best-seller. Tramell claims that she manipulated Glass into committing all those murders, and flashbacks are shown of Glass committing the murders. Tramell leaves with a smirk on her face, while Glass continues to sit silently in his wheelchair.

Cast

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 6% based on 154 reviews and an average rating of 3.02/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Unable to match the suspense and titilation of its predecessor, Basic Instinct 2 boasts a plot so ludicrous and predictable it borders on so-bad-it's-good."
On Metacritic, the film has a score of 26 out of 100 based on 33 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".
Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C" on an A+ to F scale.
BBC film critic Mark Kermode gave it a positive review.
Roger Ebert gave the film 1.5 stars out of a possible 4, but nonetheless gave a qualified recommendation of the film despite its flaws.
At the 27th Golden Raspberry Awards, the film won four Razzies for Worst Picture, Worst Actress, Worst Prequel or Sequel, and Worst Screenplay. It also earned nominations for Worst Director, Worst Supporting Actor, and Worst Screen Couple.

Box office

The film was a noteworthy failure at the box office. The film grossed only $3,201,420 in its first weekend of release in the United States. This placed it a poor 10th in top gross, against such competition as , V for Vendetta and Inside Man. Low as the opening weekend was, the second week drop-off was just under 70% to just $1,017,607, averaging a mere $700 per theatre, nearly the worst of the year. In the end, the film was in theatres for only 17 days before Sony decided to stop tracking its progress, and finished with a domestic gross of only $5,971,336.
The film found more success outside the United States, earning $32,658,142, giving Basic Instinct 2 a worldwide theatrical gross of $38,629,478.
Moviefone ranked the film as No. 16 on its Top 25 Box Office Bombs of All Time.

Cancelled sequel

Plans for a third film have been scrapped due to the film's poor box office reception. However, in April 2006, Stone said she'd be interested in directing a potential third installment.