Lesson plan

Basic Instinct

Basic Instinct is a 1992 neo-noir erotic thriller mystery film directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Joe Eszterhas. Starring Michael Douglas, Sharon Stone, George Dzundza, Jeanne Tripplehorn, and Wayne Knight, the film follows San Francisco homicide detective Nick Curran (Douglas) as he investigates the murder of rock star Johnny Boz, only to begin an intense relationship with the prime suspect Catherine Tramell (Stone), a wealthy heiress and crime novelist. The script was developed by Eszterhas in the 1980s and became the subject of a bidding war, which Carolco Pictures won before bringing Verhoeven on board to direct. Stone, who was relatively unknown at the time, was cast as Tramell after the role was rejected by several prominent actresses and production was plagued by protests and intense conflict between Eszterhas and Verhoeven. Basic Instinct premiered in Los Angeles on March 18, 1992, and was theatrically released by TriStar Pictures in the United States two days later. The film received mixed reviews from critics; while praise was given to the performances, score, and editing, the script and character development were criticized. It also generated controversy due to its graphic depiction of violence and homosexual relationships.…

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Article summary

Basic Instinct is a 1992 neo-noir erotic thriller mystery film directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Joe Eszterhas. Starring Michael Douglas, Sharon Stone, George Dzundza, Jeanne Tripplehorn, and Wayne Knight, the film follows San Francisco homicide detective Nick Curran (Douglas) as he investigates the murder of rock star Johnny Boz, only to begin an intense relationship with the prime suspect Catherine Tramell (Stone), a wealthy heiress and crime novelist. The script was developed by Eszterhas in the 1980s and became the subject of a bidding war, which Carolco Pictures won before bringing Verhoeven on board to direct. Stone, who was relatively unknown at the time, was cast as Tramell after the role was rejected by several prominent actresses and production was plagued by protests and intense conflict between Eszterhas and Verhoeven. Basic Instinct premiered in Los Angeles on March 18, 1992, and was theatrically released by TriStar Pictures in the United States two days later. The film received mixed reviews from critics; while praise was given to the performances, score, and editing, the script and character development were criticized. It also generated controversy due to its graphic depiction of violence and homosexual relationships.…

Key claims

  1. release date: 1992-03-17 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
  2. release date: 1992 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

  1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
  2. The record states that the release date is "1992-03-17". What evidence would count against this claim?
  3. The record states that the release date is "1992". What evidence would count against this claim?
  4. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
  5. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

  1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1376801453

Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.