Basic Instinct 2

Orchestrated by Matt Dunkley and Stephen Coleman

Conducted by Matt Dunkley

Produced by John Murphy and Ford A. Thaxton

Released by La-La Land Records on April 18, 2006

Track Listing

01 - Michael Reads Her Book (0:56)

02 - 120 MPH SEX (2:17)

03 - Not Yet / Courtroom (2:07)

04 - Bodies Still Warm (1:41)

05 - Sex with Michelle (1:40)

06 - Adam Towers is Dead (1:26)

07 - Questions about Catherine (0:56)

08 - Catherine is Waiting (1:01)

09 - Legs Wide Open on a Chair (1:49)

10 - I Smell Blood (1:19)

11 - Soho (1:23)

12 - If She Calls Again (1:08)

13 - Michael Argues with Michelle (0:54)

14 - Olympic Toilets / Saving Denise (3:01)

15 - Catherine at Police Station (2:52)

16 - Sex With Catherine (1:30)

17 - Library (1:20)

18 - No Apologies (0:56)

19 - In The Car with Washburn (2:04)

20 - The Long Night of the Soul (1:29)

21 - Jacuzzi (2:54)

22 - Reading "The Analyst" (1:30)

23 - Racing to Miena's (1:47)

24 - Michael at Miena's (4:30)

25 - Washburn Dies (1:47)

26 - Broadmoor (1:33)

27 - She Tells the Plot (1:24)

28 - She Kisses Him Goodbye (1:21)

29 - BASIC INSTINCT 2 - End Credits (3:31)

BONUS TRACKS

30 - Yuppie Chill (2:01)

31 - Atlantic Bar (1:39)

32 - Orgy (1:13)

33 - Mozart Violin Concerto In A Major "Minuetto" (4:04)

Total Running Time: 61:54

Basic Instinct was one of those movies that when stripped away of all its eroticism (and in 1992, it caused quite a stir with its content, even for its 'R' rating) it's really pedestrian and nothing special. At least story wise. The film itself was expertly directed by Paul Verhoven at the top of his game, and he manages to pull the material up to a point where it sits alongside Robocop and Starship Troopers as some of his finest American fair, and has kept a successful cult following since its release fourteen years ago.

Call me cynical if you will, but I see the reason for Basic Instinct 2 coming into existence as a vanity project for an aging and career-less Sharon Stone. Harsh language to be sure, but it's hardly to be denied. I never found Stone to be personally attractive even when she was younger, and so now the sex factor for me is severely diminished (even though she really doesn't look bad for her age). Career-wise however, Stone has not had any kind of notable film, and her last project that anybody really even noticed was that horrid Catwoman film. She did have a good turn in Broken Flowers, but I hardly even recognized her in that. And coming fourteen years off the original (and not having near the boundary-pushing quality of the first one), Basic Instinct 2 seems to be a film that is 10-12 years too late.

Score-wise is a different matter entirely. John Murphy approaches the sequel as if it is a mere moments away from the first by providing an accurate reprisal of Goldsmith's theme that serves as the anchor for the whole musical foundation. The score even starts off with a full performance of that theme before swerving off into the original material with "120 MPH SEX". This bodes well for Murphy's score as it provides a taunt, string-pounding moment that accurately mixes the high speed erotic antics going on in this sequence. The opening is book ended with yet another performance of Goldsmith's theme in "Not Yet / Courtroom". With the very next cue, however, we delve into a new development in this score, with an ethnic horn approach that is not unlike what might be heard in the new Battlestar Galactica series. This isn't the only time you'll hear the Armenian Dudak instrument in this score, and its inclusion is an odd choice as the film takes place in London and would seem to be devoid of any relevance. It comes across as Murphy's attempt to do something unique, though it is more puzzling than effective.

The album faithfully adheres to the formula set forth in the opening handful of cues for pretty much all of its hour length. There are moments where Murphy seems to run out of ideas and just throws in something that works in the most basic sense, although every now and then there is some inspired material that can be heard. It's almost frustrating in a way because it seems that just underneath the surface is a score that is a worthy follow-up to Goldsmith's original that is struggling to come up for air, though by the end of the album it's clear that it will never surface. Murphy's handling of the original themes is pretty straightforward with only a few interesting twists, though at least those unaltered performances are handled well enough.

Ultimately, Basic Instinct 2 deserves a lot of a credit for what Murphy could pull off for what is otherwise a pretty tepid film. While not achieving the masterful direction that Goldsmith provided for the first film, this is a decent erotic thriller score that is enough to provide a fix for those who'd like more after devouring all that the original had to offer musically.

Reviewed on May 16, 2006