Basic Instinct

Basic Instinct (1992)

72 mistakes - chronological order

(16 votes)

Visible crew/equipment: After the scene in Jeanne Tripplehorn's apartment, Michael Douglas meets with the other investigators back at the police station and the reflection of the cameraman can be seen in the glass partition behind him as an investigator says, "I made a couple of calls to Berkeley." (00:38:45)

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Continuity mistake: In an overhead shot back at her house, Sharon Stone walks away from her pool towards her car which is in total shade. In the next shot as she gets in the car she's in sunlight. (00:39:35)

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Revealing mistake: Michael Douglas almost has a head-on collision with a bus as he chases Sharon Stone down the highway. If you look closely as he slams on his brakes, there are many skid marks in that exact same spot in the road from previous takes. (00:41:05)

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Visible crew/equipment: Michael Douglas spots Sharon Stone's car in front of Hazel Dobkins' house and if you look closely as he walks up to her car you can see the camera man's reflection on the front window as he is obviously filming inside of another vehicle. (00:42:00)

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Continuity mistake: Michael Douglas sits and watches Sharon Stone's car in front of Hazel Dobkins' house. There's no indication that she ever left the house but the car is in a different position, in relation to the mailbox, then when he first saw it. (00:42:50)

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Continuity mistake: Sharon Stone finely comes out of Hazel Dobkins' house and her car is dry. There's no indication that Michael Douglas hasn't been sitting there waiting for her but his car is soaking wet. In the next shot it's dry also. (00:42:55)

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Continuity mistake: At Sharon Stone's house, Michael Douglas sees her undressing through a large picture window. He has to turn to the left to see the window, but in the close-up of him watching he's not looking to the left but looking straight ahead. (00:44:10)

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Continuity mistake: In his office, Michael Douglas looks up Hazel Dobkins' name on the police computer. Gus Moran comes in to speak to him and the pencils in the pencil holder move between shots without anyone going near them. (00:45:35)

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Continuity mistake: Michael Douglas goes back to Sharon Stone's house where she invites him upstairs as he watches her break up ice cubes with an ice pick. If you look closely at the painting above her fireplace, you can watch the different times of day go by between shots in the reflection of sunlight off of the pool and onto the picture. (00:47:10)

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Continuity mistake: When Michael Douglas goes back to Sharon Stone's house, there's a table with a lamp on it next to a white chair. The table moves back about four inches throughout the scene and the pillow on the chair, the flower centerpiece, and the stuff on the table on the right also move as the scene progresses. (00:50:35)

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Continuity mistake: As she walks into Michael Douglas' apartment, Sharon Stone drapes her jacket over the center of one of his kitchen chairs. Later in the scene she walks over and gets the jacket and it's draped over the left side of the chair. (01:03:20 - 01:04:55)

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Continuity mistake: Back at Michael Douglas' apartment, Sharon Stone uses his ice pick to break up a big hunk of ice for their drinks. In front of her is a tray with various items and loose change in it, with a padlock and a piece of paper to left of it. Everything in the tray and the piece of paper move throughout the scene without anyone going near them. (01:03:55)

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Continuity mistake: At his apartment Michael Douglas takes his sunglasses off and puts them down on the counter where Sharon Stone later breaks up a big hunk of ice for their drinks. The glasses rotate 45 degrees throughout the scene without anyone going near them. (01:04:00)

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Continuity mistake: Before Sharon Stone leaves Michael Douglas' apartment the box on the left against the far wall near his front door is empty. Several shots later when Gus Moran brings him a pizza, the box is full of stuff. (01:05:00)

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Continuity mistake: In their love making scene Sharon Stone leaves Michael Douglas' back all dripping and bloodied with her sharp fingernails. In the next shot she rolls him over onto a pillow but when he gets up there's no blood on the pillowcase. (01:13:20)

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Continuity mistake: Sharon Stone leaves the top of Michael Douglas' back all bloodied with her sharp fingernails. After the lovemaking scene, Roxy talks to him in the bathroom and we see the reflection of his back in the mirror. The scratches on his back are now much lower and not anywhere near the right place. (01:13:25 - 01:16:10)

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Beth Garner: Something's going on. You're sleeping with her, aren't you?
Nick: Why are you interested in her?
Beth Garner: My interest is in you, not her. She seduces and manipulates people. She'll do anything she can.
Nick: I thought you hardly knew her?
Beth Garner: I know the type. I'm a psychologist.
Nick: That means... you manipulate people too! You're a practicing psychologist. You're better at it than she is.

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Question: Why did Catherine change her mind about killing Nick at the end? Obviously she was planning on killing him anyway, but she changed her mind only hours after ending their relationship when her book was finished and was of no further use. So why did she spare him? Was it because she fell in "love" with him?

Movielover1996

Answer: There's no definitive answer to this and the ending is deliberately ambiguous and open to interpretation. The audience is left to speculate whether or not Catherine kills Nick, or if she intended to kill him but changes her mind because she loves him, or intends to kill him at a much later time, and so on.

raywest

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