"This sexually explicit thriller, controversial when it was released, bathes its kinkier scenes in a golden glow akin to breakfast cereal commercials. And though peppered with daring elements such as bisexuality, the script is conventional in its sexual politics, preserving the male fantasy of a desirable woman who is always available, emotionally supportive, and well versed in the art of pleasing her male partner." (Andrea Kalas) "In her (UCLA lecture) `Kiss My Ice Pick: Images of Female Monstrosity,' Barbara Creed asks: `Is this woman castrated or does she castrate? Is her vagina where the ice pick should actually be?'...Basic Instinct has much in common with hardcore bondage films (which) portray a dominant, i.e. phallic, sexually ambiguous and challenging woman....Michael Douglas's character shares common ground with male masochists, as he's only attracted to women `who threaten to slash him to bits.'" (Elisabeth Greenbaum)