Director Paul Verhoeven ("Total Recall," "RoboCop") is a slick technician (though the swooping crane shots get to be a bit obvious), and there are some exciting and striking moments in "Basic Instinct." But the script, by Joe Eszterhaus (which reportedly got Hollywood into a bidding war and ultimately sold for the record-breaking price of $3 million), is a rag-tag mishmash that recycles everything from "Dressed to Kill" and "Body Heat" to "Cruising" and even Eszterhaus' own "Jagged Edge."

The performances here are not particularly noteworthy, with the possible exception of Stone. I've never found her particularly convincing in her other films; she's a bit too aloof and distanced. But here, those traits seem to work for the character. It's just too bad the character is so exploitative — she spends much of the movie in the buff.

As for the controversy concerning lesbian characters in the film — are they exploited as man-hating, masculine stereotypes? Yes, but on the other hand, other characters are equally exploited stereotypes — police, psychologists, even men in general. Nobody comes off as sympathetic in this picture.

In the end, "Basic Instinct" is tedious and tiresome. The mystery isn't all that mysterious and the plot points become more and more predictable. (It's quite easy to tick off who's going to die and when.)

It's hard to believe that every studio in Hollywood thought this was a screenplay worth $3 million.

"Basic Instinct" is rated R for considerable violence, sex, nudity and profanity.