I'll get over the formalities and cut right to the chase: "Basic Instinct" has some great acting by a wonderful cast, and a conceivably good story, but in the hands of director Paul Verhoeven, who is well-known for his use of style over substance, the mystery and psychological inklings fall increasingly short of suspenseful, leading us up to twist after twist, some of which work, others that founder. His sense of direction is in the right place, but the way in which he takes us where he wants us to go is surprisingly joyless, and without intensity.

The film begins, fittingly enough, with a sex scene, in which a former rock star, who is now a prestigious community member in San Francisco, is murdered with an ice pick after intercourse by an unseen blonde woman. This brings detective Nick Curran (Michael Douglas) to the attention of the sultry author Catherine Tramell (Sharon Stone), who was last seen with the murder victim. It also doesn't help that the murder is an exact reenactment of a similar event in one of her novels.

At first, Curran seems turned off by Tramell's forthrightness in her testimony of her relationship with the victim, and is certain that a lie detector test that proves her innocent is wrong. But as he begins to dig his nails into clues, he also finds himself mesmerized by her, and by the danger he feels in playing head games with her as she does with him. His life begins to take a nose dive: he begins smoking and drinking again, and becomes so infatuated with Tramell that he becomes even more determined to prove her innocent.

So does all of this really work? Some elements do, such as the wonderful acting and sometimes witty dialogue exchanges, but others, such as ambiguous clues and lurid sex scenes, do not. The movie is worth it to see the terrific talents of its cast, but take them out of the equation, and what you have is a skin flick spiced up with a Hollywood makeover.

The movie's two main stars are its central attractions, featuring some very effective work from Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone, who play their parts with a wicked wit and devilish fun. Douglas embodies the obsession in his character like a pro, using emotion and body language to confirm Curran's descent into infatuation. Stone steals the show, not only with her provocative figure shots, but with the excellent wit she employs in her dialogue. Exchanges between the two characters are impressive, if not eerie.

The murder mystery is intriguing, for the most part. It keeps us waiting until the ending, to let us know the final answer that will solve everything we've been suspecting. Each clue left to us by the story has two different paths, one that points to another possible suspect as the killer, and one that points to the until-now prime suspect Tramell. The final shot answers this question, but lessens the effect of the picture as a whole because we come to realize just how much the movie toys with us, leading us to believe one thing, and then betraying the trust we have put into Tramell.

The movie serves little other purpose other than to show off director Verhoeven's virtuoso style as he invites us on a very lurid trip into obsession. He fills the canvas with over-the-top sex scenes, which do little to enhance the effect of the film. There are scenes that work nicely, such as the interrogation scene, in which Tramell coolly shifts in her chair giving the detectives a clean view of her mid-section; the shock on their faces is priceless. But the movie also contains its fair share of gratuitous sex, which comes close to crossing the boundaries of soft and hard-core erotica. This is more of a turn-off, and may even provoke snickers rather than a serious approach.

In summation, "Basic Instinct" has all the good parts of a thriller, but the bad parts outweigh them heavily. The acting is stellar, while the central plot is full of mystery. Too bad that Verhoeven trades in a good deal for cheap pornography and an ending that revokes everything we've been lead to believe from the beginning.

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