The Fourth Man (1983) aka De Vierde Man aka The 4th Man

4.5 / 5 Mar '10
Tagline: Christine is young, beautiful and rich. Her three husbands all died tragically. It's time for Christine to find her fourth man.
Directed by: Paul Verhoeven
Written by: Gerard Reve, Gerard Soeteman
Actors include: Jeroen Krabbé, Renée Soutendijk, Thom Hoffman
Genre: Thriller
Length: 102 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
This is one unusual film and a completely unexpected surprise especially when you compare to Paul Verhoeven's later works (which is all I've really seen until now). It's sort of in the spirit of Brian De Palma yet it's far from being a copycat of sorts. The story is about a jerkish gay Catholic writer who suffers from hallucinations (likely Catholic guilt about his homosexuality). During a press conference he is fascinated with a Woman named Christine (Renée Soutendijk who is videotaping him, and the two wind up in some sort of affair. He's especially pleased that Christine looks rather masculine, only he learns she has a serious lover that he offers to help her with. She brings the lover back to the house (and see our writer is obsessed with the male lover which was his motivation for wanting to help). When the writer uncovers that Christine is actually looking for her fourth husband and that unfortunate accidents have happened to the first few he can't stop seeking facts even past the point of danger. It's one heck of an enthralling tale, really absurd and somewhat morbidly humorous even oh and I should warn you that there will be a lot of penis in this film. It's one heck of a strange perverse artistic thriller that although at first it somewhat confusing rest assured it will all be explained. This is the sort of film that I can't imagine forgetting, it really makes me wonder what else Verhoeven has created, I wonder if all of his Dutch language films are as intriguing as this one?

Availability:  On DVD

Amsterdamned (1988)

4 / 5 May '10
Tagline: The city is murder
Directed by: Dick Maas
Written by: Dick Maas
Actors include: Huub Stapel, Monique van de Ven, Serge-Henri Valcke
Genre: Thriller, Horror, Action
Length: 114 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Ever since I heard the name of this film when I was a little girl I've wanted to see it...how could you not? Luckily it was as good as it's name, I found this to be a rather original and scenic thriller film thanks to dutch director Dick Maas (De lift [The Lift]). It's very cool that it was shot in the canals of Amsterdamned, it has an exciting speed boat chase, gruesome murders and intrigue! The idea is that there is a serial killer who is into diving and he lurks in the canals springing up at any time to collect his next victim. It's in the style of a who-dunnit, almost like a giallo film which is pretty neat. We follow around a Police Officer and his daughter as they try to figure out who the killer is and of course prevent the next victim from being claimed. This really does have a bit of everything, it's got a sense of humor even...they really made this an interesting little film that should appeal to most.

Availability:  On DVD (region 2 though)

Spetters (1980)

4.5 / 5
Tagline:  N/A
Directed by:  Paul Verhoeven
Written by:  Gerard Soeteman
Actors include:  Hans van Tongeren, Renée Soutendijk, Toon Agterberg
Genre:  Drama, Exploitation, Action
Length:  120 minutes
Banned:  Nope

Review:

This one probably takes the cake for being the film with the most penis in it that isn't x-rated.  Now don't let this deter you because this is one heck of a powerful and interesting film.  The odd thing is, when I put this on I thought we were in for a racing movie, but this is so much more than that.  In fact it bears a bit of a resemblance to Saturday Night Fever but I think it's so much better.  It revolves around a group of friends who are into biking, one kid in particular called Rien is destined to be a champ.  He meets the ambitious Fientje who works at a food stand and he falls pretty hard for her.  She's more interested in who will provide the nicest life for her...she's rather evil.  The other friends involved all go through some major realizations and troubles.  One friend likes to beat and rob gay men, one is sort of an underachiever, and one is going to have a life changing ride.  It's actually rather comical despite the fact that it's rather serious overall, it's surprisingly well put together and it does have a little bit of everything.  Outside of the horror genre I've seen very few foreign films, but this was a real treat.  Highly recommended from a very talented director not to mention the excellent soundtrack of classics.

Availability:  On DVD