Basic Instinct 2 is a 2006 thriller Erotic Film and the sequel to 1992's Basic Instinct. The film was directed by Michael Caton-Jones and stars Sharon Stone, who reprises her role of Catherine Tramell from the original, and David Morrissey, David Thewlis, Indira Varma, Hugh Dancy, and Charlotte Rampling.
The film follows novelist and suspected serial killer Catherine Tramell (Stone), who is once again in trouble with the authorities. Scotland Yard appoints psychiatrist Dr. Michael Glass (Morrissey) to evaluate her after a man in Tramell's presence dies. As with Detective Nick Curran in the first film, Glass becomes a victim of Tramell's seductive games.
This film features examples of:
- "Basic Instinct" Legs-Crossing Parody: The theatrical poster teases a similar scene to the original film's famous scene, showing Catherine sitting opposite Dr. Glass with her legs crossed. It also evokes this in the movie proper with some leg-crossing shots, but it actually settles for Edgy Backwards Chair-Sitting.
- Cassandra Truth: Catherine in one scene invokes this trope after Glass tells her to tell him the truth about his ex-wife, with Catherine telling him several things. She coolly notices that he's not buying anything she says, to which she responds, "You don't believe me when I tell you the truth, and you don't believe me when I tell a lie." The fact is that with this film, it's hard to see what is truth and what isn't unless you're familiar with the first film (for which some things are mentioned in this one).
- Chained to a Bed: Catherine is still fond of tying her lovers up to the bedposts, but this time she has "upgraded" from the silk scarf from the first film to a straight-up choker.
- Critical Psychoanalysis Failure: Psychiatrist Dr. Michael Glass is appointed to evaluate Catherine Tramell after she's involved in a car accident that kills her lover due to reckless driving. During their sessions she does a reverse psycho-analysis of Glass to mess with his mind, since she's not only a sociopath but studied psychology in college. It doesn't take long for her to dissect all his own personal failings and seduce him into a relationship with her.
- Dirty Cop: Roy Washburn is suggested to be one, though it's unclear to what extent this is true.
- Drives Like Crazy: While this was present in the first film, this time it actually shows Catherine and a guy engaging in foreplay (or rather, she manipulates the heavily-sedated guy's hand to masturbate herself) while driving. They end up crashing and the guy dies.
- Edgy Backwards Chair-Sitting: Catherine does this while talking with her psychiatrist, in what seems to be this film's homage to the infamous Going Commando interrogation scene from the first film.
- Retargeted Lust: Much like it happened with Nick in the first film, having been thoroughly taunted and titillated by Catherine, Dr. Glass later has rough sex with his girlfriend while discretely staring at a novel's photograph of Catherine before being interrupted this time.
- Sequel Goes Foreign: While the first film takes place in the U.S., this one takes place in London, England.
- Shown Their Work: Psychotherapist-patient privilege does work exactly like Glass says: there is no obligation to disclose any patient's revelations regarding the past misdeeds but there is an obligation to report any patient's plans regarding probable future crimes.
- Wall Bang Her: At one point in the film, Glass meets an attractive waitress. While in the original release of the film nothing comes from it, in the unrated edition it's shown that they had sex against the wall behind the counter.
