10 Movies Much Better Than The One Thing You Remember Them For
4. Basic Instinct
What You Remember It For: Sharon Stone uncrossing her legs
A lot of the fondness aimed at 1992's Basic Instinct more-or-less boils down to people remembering the sex appeal of star Sharon Stone.
The scene where Stone's Catherine Tramell exposes herself during an interrogation has taken on a life of its own, with parodies and references aplenty (most recently in Deadpool 2); indeed, you don't even need to have seen the movie to know where it comes from.
But being known as "that movie where Sharon Stone flashes her vagina" does the incredibly suspenseful, provocative Basic Instinct a disservice. Michael Douglas is at his best, Verhoeven's Hitchcockian direction is rock-solid (and impressive considering he's more famous for his action work), and the plot unfolds at a rapid pace that keeps the carnal intrigue coming. There's so much to enjoy here.
Over time, Basic Instinct has become known as a "sexy movie" because of this one scene, but it really isn't; it's about how a manipulative woman uses sex as a weapon, and it builds a strong thriller around that conceit. It's more horrifying than anything.