The 4th Man

The 4th Man (De vierde man, 1983) is Paul Verhoeven's Dutch psychological thriller, available to watch online on iFILM. Gerard Reve — played by Jeroen Krabbé — is a bisexual, alcoholic Catholic writer whose imagination bleeds visions of death into ordinary life. A speaking engagement in a small town leads him into the bed of Christine, a wealthy beautician.

Morning brings an unexpected obsession: a photo of Christine's boyfriend, exactly the young man Gerard wants for himself. Then he finds the home movies. Three husbands. Three accidents. Gerard starts running the arithmetic and doesn't like what he gets. Shot just before Verhoeven left for Hollywood, the film is drenched in Catholic guilt, erotic menace and visual daring that would resurface in Basic Instinct a decade later — only here it's stranger and colder. Stream The 4th Man (1983) online on iFILM.