Basic Instinct

Continuity mistake: In the first scene of the movie Sharon Stone holds the end of her white silk scarf in her right-hand. In the next shot the end of the scarf is draped over her right hand. (00:03:25)

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Continuity mistake: In the first scene of the movie Sharon Stone ties Jonny Boz's right hand with her white silk scarf. When we first see his hand it's wide open than in the next shot it's closed only to open as she pulls the knot tightly. (00:03:35)

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Continuity mistake: When Michael Douglas first sees her at the beach house he says, "Miss. Tramell?". If you closely at the shadow cast by the railing it's obvious that at least an hour has gone by between shots as he walks down to talk to her. The lounge chair has also moved between shots. (00:10:50)

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Continuity mistake: At the beach house Sharon Stone is sitting in direct sunlight as she speaks to Michael Douglas about Jonny Boz yet in all the close-up shots, even when he walks between her and the sun, she's never in direct sunlight. (00:11:00)

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Continuity mistake: When Michael Douglas walks into Jeanne Tripplehorn's office there's a large plant more than one foot to the right of the lamp by her window. Later in the scene this plant is moved to the left where it's almost in front of the lamp in her close-ups. (00:13:25)

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Continuity mistake: As they discuss the murder of Jonny Boz Jeanne Tripplehorn introduces Dr. Lamott to the investigators and the book that is right in front of him moves sideways on the desk between shots. (00:17:45)

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Continuity mistake: As Michael Douglas and his partner drive Sharon Stone to the police station for questioning in the shots of her she's sitting on the left of the rear window. When Gus Moran looks at her in the rear view mirror she's on the other side next to a large police light. Throughout the scene she moves left and right between shots on the back seat. (00:23:00)

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Suggested correction: That's exactly how her reflection, in reference to the police light, would look in the rear-view mirror with the way he positioned the mirror.

Continuity mistake: As Sharon Stone sits for questioning at the police station, the coffee pot on top of the coffee machine rotates throughout the scene without anyone leaving their seats. (00:27:10)

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Continuity mistake: As Sharon Stone sits through questioning, the retractable light on the right of the camera is moved to the side toward the end of the scene without anyone going near it. (00:28:40)

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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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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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Plot hole: This is another movie where the cops are too dumb to go out by themselves. The woman who icepicks the first victim (we see) to death would have left enough forensic evidence on the scene to convict her ten times over - skin, hair, sweat, saliva, vaginal fluid, possibly blood, and they all contain DNA in abundance. She had vigorous, sweaty sex with this man and she didn't clean up afterwards (and she couldn't have done so thoroughly enough anyway) so she's left calling cards all over the place. The killer also handled the icepick (which the police take away in an evidence bag) with bare hands - her prints would be all over it. She might as well have left a signed confession, but they can't even identify her. Sharon Stone, for instance, leaves her fingerprints (on the chair and fixtures in the police station) and her saliva (containing epithelial skin cells which are an excellent source of DNA) on the cigarette butt she discards, also in the police station. She went there of her own accord and these artifacts are legally accessible by the police. It is obvious to anyone that the women who had sex with the victim killed him, and Catherine is most certainly a suspect. They don't have enough to charge her but they would if they did a simple series of tests on the dead man's body - and if she didn't do it, that would eliminate her as a suspect. They don't even check.

More mistakes in Basic Instinct

Nick: How did you feel when I told you Johnny Boz had died, that day at the beach?
Catherine: I felt somebody had read my book and was playing a game.
Nick: But you didn't hurt.
Catherine: No.
Nick: Because you didn't love him.
Catherine: That's right.
Nick: Even though you were fucking him.
Catherine: You still get the pleasure. Didn't you ever fuck anybody else while you were married, Nick?

More quotes from Basic Instinct
More trivia for Basic Instinct

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

More questions & answers from Basic Instinct

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