The Fourth Man

The Fourth Man is a 1983 Dutch psychological thriller film directed by Paul Verhoeven and starring Jeroen Krabbé, Renée Soutendijk and Thom Hoffman. Based on the 1981 novel of the same name by Gerard Reve, it follows Gerard, a bisexual writer who has a romantic encounter with a mysterious woman, Christine, and subsequently becomes enamored of Herman, another of her male lovers; while attempting to pursue Herman, Gerard is plagued by a series of disturbing visions suggesting Christine may be a murderess who has chosen him as her fourth victim. Released in 1983, the film was a box-office success in the Netherlands, though it was a more significant commercial success in the United States, where it became the highest-grossing Dutch film of all time. It was the Dutch entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 56th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee. The film is sexually explicit and, like many of Verhoeven's other films, shows graphic violence and gore. Plot Gerard Revé, an alcoholic, bisexual novelist, travels from Amsterdam to Vlissingen to give a lecture to the city's Literary Society. At the train station, he unsuccessfully cruises an attractive young man for sex. During the lecture, Gerard notices the society's treasurer, a cosmetologist named Christine Halsslag, incessantly filming him with a handheld camera. She informs him after the lecture that they have booked him a room at the Hotel Bellevue in the city, if he wishes to stay; Gerard is disturbed to find it the same hotel that was subject of a bizarre nightmare he had on the train. Christine instead asks Gerard to spend the night at her home, which is attached to a salon she owns. The two have sex, after which Gerard has a nightmare in which Christine cuts off his penis with scissors. In the morning, Christine tells Gerard she is a widow, having lost her husband Johan in an accident. Later, in Christine's salon, Gerard finds a photograph of her attractive German lover, Herman, and realizes he is the same man he encountered in the train station. Gerard swiftly becomes enamored of Herman, and agrees to have an extended vacation with Christine in hopes of encountering and ultimately bedding him.