The Fourth Man
by Paul Verhoeven
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Dolf de Vries, Geert de Jong, Jeroen Krabbé, Renée Soutendijk, Thom HoffmanDirector: Paul Verhoeven
Cinematographer: Jan de Bont
Editor: Ine Schenkkan
Producer: Rob Houwer
Writer: Gerard Reve
Writer: Gerard Soeteman
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); Dutch (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Anamorphic, Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.66:1
Running Time: 102 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2001-04-24
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay
Movie Reviews of The Fourth Man
Movie Review: Gripping movie
Summary: 5 Stars
Verhoeven's last Dutch movie was made out of spite. Increasingly lambasted for his films in his native Holland for being too perverted and desperate to make the move to Hollywood, this was the movie he made to show off potential executives in the USA. There were movie offers that he was interested in, in America, but due to one reason or another, he ended up frustrated with the whole process of waiting.
Often cited as a prototype of Basic Instinct, this can easily work on its own levels. Sure there are similarities ie is there murder involved? What is the lead character hiding? Bisexuality etc. but it's a different movie with a different feel to it.
The story starts out that Gerard Reve is a bisexual author who believes his stories " lie the truth." It is an interesting statement at a lecture he gives but what I found more interesting was that after stating he was a Catholic and goes on to say that " science is Catholic." Given that anyone I know who is deeply religious is against the very notion of science because " they are trying to play God." I'm not one bit religious but it provides a thought provoking question in " Is science an extension of Christianity." Believe it or not I spent half the night thinking over that one over since it had stuck in my head.
The great thing about Verhoeven's pre-Hollywood movies is their ability to insert glorious visual treats. The visions that Gerard gets at times are distinctly creepy. While on a train he notices a picture of a hotel and is transported there while daydreaming. He goes to the door and is about to open the door when he sees an eye pop out of the door and ooze it's way down leaving a bloody smear across the door. Some may see shades of Bunuel and Dali in that shot alone.
Ingmar Bergman, a director Paul Verhoeven frequently cites as an influence, also shows. The opening image of a spider preying on a fly as it's victim is also startling in it's detail. How it creeps around and wraps the fly around in it's web so it can't move. As I say it's fascinating in it's detail.
Gerard falls for Christine, a hairdresser left a fortune from her dead husband. But is she hiding a secret from Gerard. The plot slowly unravels as does Gerard's sanity while his mind is giving him clues as to what might be the truth ( or a lie of the truth as it were ). Whether Christine is what Gerard thinks she is is up to you.
If I were to compare this to Basic Instinct ( which is inevitable really ), I would have to say that this lays more intrigue on the viewer and in a certain way is like the spider laying a web whereas Basic Instinct is a lot more blunt and obvious. Apart from some homoeroticism which borders on blasphemy if you are particularly religious in The Fourth Man, Basic Instinct has lesbianism which is a lot more palatable for Americans. There are calls of misogyny and it is true there are instances in The Fourth Man where that occurs but it is not as crude as Basic Instinct. In contrast to Basic Instinct, yes there are similarities but this feels like a completely different movie and has a different feel to it as well. While The Fourth Man is an atmospheric chiller that grips the viewer, Basic Instinct, despite the plot that revolves around it, feels a bit like a soft porn parody. However that is only my view of things. All in all this movie should be seen by those who like a sense of adventure in their movies.
Summary of The Fourth Man
Only two years separate The Fourth Man, the final Dutch language movie by director Paul Verhoeven, and the explosive commencement of his Hollywood career. Controversy raged about violence in Flesh & Blood, RoboCop and everything else he made thereafter. Yet controversy has always been a part of the filmmaker's work. This savage comedy shocker could well be seen as a trial run for Basic Instinct, since it features an ice-cold seductress (Renée Soutendijk) with mysterious motivations and sexual preferences. The hallucinatory tale follows a novelist (Jeroen Krabbé) first falling for her, and then feverishly investigating whether she's a serial husband killer. The film is full of what would soon be recognized as Verhoeven trademarks: a little blasphemy, a lot of nudity, dispassionate characters, and hidden agendas. One of the aspects that caught the eye of international audiences was the film's colorful lighting and camerawork. This was from Jan de Bont, who, thanks in large part to Verhoeven, would go on to direct Speed and others. Full of symbolic flourishes and allegorical plot points The Fourth Man is a dizzying display of the type of black comedy that not even Verhoeven can get away with in today's politically aware industry. --Paul TonksSimilar DVD Movies
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