Rent The Fourth Man (1983)
3.5 of 5 from 110 ratings
1h 39min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- During a lecture, controversial novelist Gerard Reve (Jeroen Krabbe) claims that his stories "lie the truth". Without knowing it, this enigmatic pronouncement sets the tone for the bizarre events that will send him to the brink of madness. The focus of these events is Christine (Renee Soutendijk), a seductive and aloof beautician who lures Gerard into her world. Soon he begins to wonder whether Christine's cool exterior hides a murderous instinct: with three husbands dead, does she intend to make Gerard The Fourth Man?
- Actors:
- Jeroen Krabbé, Renée Soutendijk, Thom Hoffman, Dolf de Vries, Geert De Jong, Hans Veerman, Hero Muller, Caroline de Beus, Reinout Bussemaker, Erik J. Meijer, Ursul de Geer, Filip Bolluyt, Hedda Lornie, Paul Nygaard, Guus van der Made, Pamela Teves, Hella Faassen, Helen Hedy
- Directors:
- Paul Verhoeven
- Writers:
- Gerard Reve, Gerard Soeteman
- Aka:
- De vierde man
- Studio:
- Tartan
- Genres:
- Lesbian & Gay, Romance, Thrillers
- Countries:
- Holland
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Reviews (1) of The Fourth Man
Erotic noir as a fever dream — trashy, arty, and borderline holy - The Fourth Man review by griggs
The 4th Man is Verhoeven's last Dutch-language film before he hit Hollywood, and it's a total wild ride. A deliriously stylish, psychosexual fever dream that blends Catholic guilt, homoerotic vibes, Hitchcockian suspense, and full-on weirdness into one spiked cocktail. Think De Palma on communion wine.
It follows Gerard, a booze-soaked, guilt-ridden writer who gets together with Christine, a mysterious widow whose lovers keep turning up dead. But the real joy isn't in the twists — it's how Verhoeven plays with religion, lust, and full-blown hallucination to properly scramble your brain.
The performances go big (Jeroen Krabbé oozes tortured flair), and the visuals — veering from artsy to gloriously trashy — are a total feast. This is cinema as psychosexual theatre: campy, classy, and completely unhinged. Verhoeven dares you to take noir seriously again. If you like your thrillers sexy, strange, and steeped in sacrilege, this one's divine.
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