 The second is an early, influential combination of noirish atmosphere and illicit romance, an influence he shares with co-screenwriting partner Patricia Knop, to whom he was married until his death in 2012.William Friedkin’s "Cruising" (1980) and "Jade" (1995) received widespread media attention.Likewise, Paul Verhoven’s "Basic Instinct" (1992) was a blockbuster, and perhaps the apotheosis of the 1990s erotic thriller.