Basic Instinct question *SPOILER* (1 Viewer)

[kevin_asai]

Hi guys,
I've tried to search on the movie section forum and didn't find anything about discussion on Basic Instinct.
I just watched this wonderful movie of all time but I've got some questions:
1. Who killed Johnny Boz (the retired rock star)? Was it Elizabeth or Catherine?
2. Whenever Catherine met Nick Curran in his apartment, was it Catherine or Elizabeth?
I was confused because, in the movie, Catherine told Nick Curran that Elizabeth used to dressed and wanted to look like her so I got to a point that Elizabeth might dressed up like her and Nick Curran thought it was Catherine instead of Elizabeth.
Thanks in advance.

 

[Matt Pasant]

I believe it was Elizabeth that was doing all the killings, including Johhny Boz.

As for the apartment thing, I don't really follow you on that one, it sure looks like Sharon Stone to me. For the dressing up thing, I just think it ment in college due to her crush on Stone. And dressing like her (wig, scarfs, etc) while doing the killings was a way of trying to be Catherine more and more.

At least thats my take.

-- Matt

 

[Dave H]

It was Catheriine, in my opinion. At the end of the movie, the camera scrolls to the floor and the ice pick in underneath the bed on the floor. Catherine always used an ice pick - so, to me, that was the giveway (besides the fact she hung around murderers).

 

[Chris Knox]

Guys,

Sharon Stone's character (Catherine) does all of the killings. Beth never performs a single murder...

Forget about the ice pick under the bed at the very end of the movie. It should never have been there. It was placed there because Paul Verhoven wanted to make sure that even if the audience didn't "get it", they would get it.

The key to solving the puzzle is in a single scene that occurs when Catherine is done writing her book, and it is printing. This is a very easy scene to miss. Shooter (Douglas' character) comes upstairs and before she comes into the room (remember she acts snotty to him because her book is finished and printing) he catches a glimpse of what is printing on the printer. If you'll pay particularly close attention to what is printing out, the killer's identity becomes obvious.

It has been awhile since I have seen this, but the text pumping out of the printer on the paper is, in detail, describing the death of Shooter's friend in the elevator, which hasn't happened yet! Since the book hasn't been published yet there is no way Beth could have seen it to "copy" Catherine's book, thus there is no way Beth could have committed that murder.

My only problem with this whole movie is the fact that "Shooter" realizes this (you can see it on his face) as he is waiting for his friend to go up in the building to check out a lead just before the friend gets killed, and so Shooter races like a madman to his friend's aide but too late. His Dying friend is half in and out of the elevator bleeding to death just as Catherine's newly printed book describes! Then all of a sudden Shooter forgets what he realized earlier because he still thinks Beth did it! This makes no sense in light of the fact that he solved the mystery just a few minutes before.

This riddle took me many viewings to solve. I thought that it was clear that Catherine was the killer due to the ice pick under the bed at the end of the movie. Then I saw in an interview where Paul mentioned that he wished he had never put that last scene in the film. It was dumbing down the film. He went on to say that there was a way for the viewer to solve the mystery themselves, that Catherine was the murderer, without the giveaway scene at the end. This led me to study the movie a few times to try to find what he was reffering to. In my opinion this movie would have been nearly flawless without the added scene in the end...well, aside from Shooter's sudden bout of amnesia...

A great movie...

Chris

 

[Matt Pelham]

Yes, Catherine was the killer all along. If you remember back when Basic Instinct came out there was controversy over the portrayal of lesbian characters in the film. Verhoven refused to change the script, so in retaliation, the gay and lesbian group named their organization "Catherine Did It" to try and ruin the movie for those who hadn't seen it. This is also discussed in the "Blonde Poison" documentary on the DVD.

 

[oscar_merkx]

The Blonde Poison documentary also goes much further into making a comparison with Verhoeven's The Fourth Man where there is also a female murderer, with some very solid acting indeed by Jeroen Krabbe, went on to play a Bond baddie and Renee Soutendijk. I agree with Verhoeven that America was not used to deal with this kind of movie whereas in the Netherlands the Fourth Man never caused this much fuss about homo phobia I believe. Can anybody else confirm this as well.

 

[Matt Pasant]

I guess I need to take another swim through Basic Instinct than.

-- Matt

 

[Cees Alons]

...whereas in the Netherlands the Fourth Man never caused this much fuss about homo phobia I believe. Can anybody else confirm this as well.

Yes, I can. No it didn't, because the main character, who is bi-sexual in the film, is actually the writer of the original book, Gerard Reve. Gerard Reve (real name: Gerard van het Reve) is an openly gay man (he's over 80 years now, still alive) who is generally accepted as one of our most influential writers of the second half of the last century. He's loved for his wit.

Cees

 

[oscar_merkx]

Cees

Thanks for the info

 

[EricR]

Hold on here guys if Catherine did all the killing with the pick, then who killed Nielsen the (IA) guy the 38 was found in Beth apartment the matched the bullet did she do it for nick. What was Beth obsession with Catherine, they found all those pictures and novels. Maybe just maybe they were working together, how did Catherine know so much about Nick? Who you think gave her all that info.

I know the director said what he said and so did Michael Douglas on a Larry King but without the pick at the end under the bed, maybe Catherine wanted to kill for the first time and couldn’t do it. She also was in love with the boxer so she didn’t kill nick because she was in love.

 

[Jeremiah]

I haven't seen the movie for some time but I remember Sharon Stone on I believe Inside The Actors Studio and she was talking about her character HAD to kill Douglas b/c that was the type of person she was(she used a term I can't remember). It had to do with her animal instincts on having to win or something. So Stones character did all the killings.

Great movie but the end does dumb it down.

 

[EricR]

So what purpose did killing Nielsen the internal Affair guy had?

 

[Michael Reuben]

So what purpose did killing Nielsen the internal Affair guy had?

Because he could identify Catherine as the person he sold Nick's file to. That would make her look like something other than the innocent object of Beth's obsession.

M.

 

[EricR]

Thanks M

 

[kevin_asai]

Michael Reuben,
I think you have answered the most question we are asking for. Thanks a lot.