In other words: pure Paul Verhoeven. This sophisticated black comedy is not for the easily offended, but it made me laugh out loud on several spots ("if she gets a fourth one, they can play bridge!"). Verhoeven is one of the few directors who can mix horror and comedy so effortlessly (this was the main virtue of his otherwise disappointing latest feature, "Elle"). This is the movie that got him the ticket to Hollywood, and it's very easy to see why; it's probably the most entertaining erotic thriller of the 1980s (along with Brian De Palma's "Body Double"), just like the thematically similar "Basic Instinct" is probably the most entertaining erotic thriller of the 1990s. *** out of 4.
Review of The 4th Man
