Not as critically acclaimed as Silence of the Lambs?

Why not? Basic Instinct was better written, better acted, better shot and better scored. Sharon Stone is utilized in a way which makes her a compromised party in events - which proves her even more adept and multi-layered than Anthony Hopkins' feted Dr Lecter. Lambs has Jodie Foster's character acting as she thinks a man would in a man's world; encountering an underworld of 'otherness' which she is entirely removed from: which she observes but never engages with. Basic Instinct has Sharon Stone using femaleness and queerdom as a weapon, where that underworld of 'otherness' is seemingly her kingdom, with all manner of deviants, criminals and queers in her coterie. Michael Douglas is thrown into a sexual battle of the wills: unlike Foster's character, his heart and soul is on the line, not just his job. Just a few reasons why Basic Instinct is a much more provocative, divisive and powerful film than Silence of the Lambs.