Claire I. Monk

2 weeks ago | bfi.org.uk | Claire I. Monk |Adam Nayman |Tara Judah |Jessica Kiang

When Paul Verhoeven’s divisive Vegas melodrama first arrived in UK cinemas, critic Claire Monk was unconvinced by its relentless ‘tits-in-your-face’ voyeurism and flawed ideas about women’s sexual ‘power’. 9 June 2025As is clear from the plot summary alone, director Paul Verhoeven and screenwriter Joe Eszterhas’s first collaboration since Basic Instinct (1992) is driven by preoccupations other than psychological and narrative credibility.