Overview
Phillip Noyce directed the 1993 film Sliver, which is an erotic thriller based on Ira Levin’s novel, the same author who wrote Rosemary’s Baby and The Stepford Wives. The movie, which is a mix of softcore pornography and a murder mystery, takes place in a posh, modern, high-end Manhattan apartment complex. As most filmmakers in the early 1990s, Noyce focused on eroticism in film, and in Sliver, Noyce focuses on sexual control — voyeurism and one’s sense of self amid a rapidly modernizing, lonely city.
Carly Norris, played by Sharon Stone, is a book editor in her early 30s. She is newly divorced and moves into an upscale luxury Manhattan apartment in Upper West Side. The apartment complex is modern and houses a number of young, appealing, and wealthy professionals. Carly feels almost instantaneously attracted and absorbed into the seductive and dark atmosphere.
While moving in, she discovers that the former occupant of her apartment—a stunning woman—mysteriously died from a fall off her balcony. This blend of revelation intrigues Carly and motivates her to continue living her new lifestyle. Shortly after that, she meets two males in the building: Zeke Hawkins (William Baldwin), a wealthy, enigmatic tech entrepreneur who owns the building, and Jack Lansford (Tom Berenger), a successful crime novelist and her neighbor.
Carly becomes romantically involved with Zeke, who wins her over with his confidence, wealth, and supposed vulnerability. Their sexual relationship becomes more passionate, as does her curiosity about his secretive nature. While exploring her emotions and suspicions, she learns that Zeke has the entire building wired with surveillance cameras—every room, hallway, and elevator—with a concealed control room. Zeke had been secretly watching all the residents for years, including her.
Carly finds herself both drawn to and disturbed by Zeke’s voyeuristic secrets. “I never interfere, I only observe,” he states. With each resident’s suspicious death, along with a friend’s murder, it becomes clear things are spiraling out of control. Struggling with Zeke’s lurking obsession and her own desire, Carly begins to wonder if there’s more than simple surveillance at play.
As Zeke spirals, his novelistic obsession crystallizes, further straining his already fractured psyche. Replacing trust with suspicion, standard boundaries begin to dissolve, and predator and protector roles blur. She unveils Zeke’s moral ambiguity, exposing her frame of Zeke’s alleged murder. To her dismay, Zeke isn’t a criminal, but rather Jack, who’s been using Zeke’s surveillance to murder his residents.
Carly takes control by shattering the control room, dismantling the cameras and screens. With her actions, she rejects the voyeurism and the building’s controlling environment that has plagued her. The film’s conclusion remains open, contemplating whether it’s escaping toxic relationships, unknown peering eyes, and an unresolved life ahead.
Cast & Crew
Director:
Phillip Noyce: Known for political thrillers like Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger, Noyce’s work on Sliver marked a shift towards more erotic and psychological elements. His aesthetic in the film focuses on cold, glossy interiors.
Writer:
Joe Eszterhas: Basic Instinct’s (1992) Eszterhas was the focus of major attention during the early 1990s. Sliver was a far more notorious film for a number of reasons, including where it was filmed, and to how it was produced, which he later stated was a collaborative experience.
Main Cast
Sharon Stone as Carly Norris: With Basic Instinct under her belt, Stone exudes charisma, strength, and sensuality, though Carly is not as cunning as her previous role. Rather, she was a puppet in a grand scheme and ultimately reclaims her independence toward the film’s end.
William Baldwin as Zeke Hawkins: Baldwin’s take on the mysterious tech guy was a blend of a charming and creepy mixture. While his performance had been described as capturing constructive vulnerability and menace, his chemistry with Stone received mixed reviews.
Tom Berenger as Jack Lansford: As Jack Lansford, Berenger gives a volatile, intense performance as the jealous neighbor. For much of the film, his character is a red herring. His final reveal as the killer is a twist, but one that feels very predictable.
Cinematography:
The voyeuristic visuals of the film, mirrors, windows, reflections, and even surveillance, showcase Jeffrey L. Kimball’s stunning cinematography. The characters and setting’s emotional distance is accentuated by the cold, metallic color palette.
Music:
Howard Shore’s score for the film is moody, and his other music tracks add to the film’s tension and erotic nature. Also, added to the soundtrack is the hit song “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by UB40.
IMDb Ratings:
Sliver is sitting at a 5.0/10 rating on IMDb with over thirty thousand user reviews as of 2025. While the erotic thriller gained a bit of a cult following for the 90’s aesthetic and the provocative storyline, the film is largely regarded as one of the weaker entries in the genre.
Critical Reception
Sliver was released to largely negative reviews from critics, with many describing the film as having disorganized and weak character-driven storyline with very little suspense. The overarching disappointment with this film stemmed from the fact that many people had high hopes for the film due to the success of the film Basic Instinct, where Sharon Stone also starred and which had a script by Eszterhas.
The erotic and suspenseful scenes in the film Basic Instinct were performed in a very unnatural way. This was mainly due to the chemistry between the two star actors. Patricia and Baldwin were also Eurasian in nature. They were also cheap from kindergarten soap operas.
Regardless of this, there were people supporting the film. The film did well in construction tiny doesnt seal morals that are creepy, as well as the use of social media and the authorities which did little to help the purpose itself . Although the idea was not well planned, having the lead character as a woman did us points counter.
Sources suggest that the film in garment exhibit a marked inconsistency in story pacing and flow which lacks a seamless continuity. This were attending to production mise en scene changes. The original mis en seul had violence done by a surrounding character which was later done by a major character in the film. The chaos from the production was adding to the broken film.
Analysis
Sliver attempts to analyze why humans feel the need to observe and the excitement that comes with watching. The building where Carly resides approaches the concept of a fishbowl where privacy is nonexistent and everyone is always watching and also being watched.
Carly’s character development is a perfect embodiment of the female protagonist shift that happened in the early 90s. Now regarded as a passive character, Carly evolves to reject a killer voyeur and reclaim her agency. The watching surveillance monitors being destroyed in her physical rage is simultaneously a reclaiming and defiant gesture to being objectified.
Zeke’s character embodies the contemporary persona of a tech voyeur, an individual who monitors life through technology without any possibility of physical contact. His emotional frostiness reflects anxiety in society’s erosion of intimacy through technology.
The building itself, as a character, is sterile, polished, and dehumanizing. It’s devoid of empathy. Its architecture and interior design serves as a counterpoint to the film’s central argument; to a masked beauty, the haunting ugliness lies deeply concealed.
Conclusion
Sliver is an interesting, if not deeply flawed, addition to the erotic thriller genre. While the film fails in many ways, it does grapple with timely issues of voyeurism and the ethics behind surveillance. Sharon Stone, more understated in this film than in Basic Instinct, infuses her character with a blend of passion and peril.
Today, people may regard Sliver not just as a thrilling erotic film from the 1990s, but also as an intriguing forecaster of contemporary debates on privacy, technology, surveillance, and gender in public life. It is still, however, a film of its time—stylish, provocative, and deeply ambiguous.
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