i do not know if i would consider it a masterpiece of not and but it damn near close while it extremely well make and artistic and suspenseful and intricately plotted and thematically challenging and full of bleak foreshadowing and sexual religious imagery . there also some great camera work from jan de bont and an atmospheric score from loek dikker and outstanding act from jeroen krabbé and renée soutendijk and the latter give one of the most sneaky and subtle femme fatale performance i have ever see . like many other european movie and this movie have an unashamed and non judgmental attitude toward sex and nudity and the complexity of sexuality and have zero reservation about mix it all up with religious and or or surrealistic ( some would say blasphemous ) image . in other word and if you can not bear the thought of see a lust drive homosexual envision the object of his carnal desire a jesus crucify on the cross before the two of them go at it inside a cemetery crypt then this might not be the movie for you . what surprise me more be how this bizarre movie manage to completely dodge be a pretentious mess . it mix the abstract or surreal or parallel fantasy reality scene and somehow make it all work . like any good mystery and you can see the piece slowly fall into place a the movie progress . there be not an out of left field resolution here . the movie have direction and there no needless filler and once it conclude and you begin to understand the purpose of what may have confuse you early . if you like the work of ken russell and david lynch and i can almost guarantee you will love this movie . hell and if you have no idea who they even be and you still might like it . i be not go to spoil the plot by get too detailed and but the film opening shot through a web a a spider catch it prey set the stage a krabbé and a unshaven and smug and bisexual writer gerard reve ( interestingly and also the name of the writer whose novel this be base on ) cross paths with a wealthy and mysterious and sexy woman name christine ( soutendijk and meld androgynous stylings with simone simon like innocence or cuteness that pretty unnerve ) and who may be a literal black widow responsible for the death of her three previous husband . the two become lover and move in with one another and but be lead to believe ( through christine bizarre behavior and the frequent appearance of another woman play by geert de jong who may or may not actually exist ) something terrible be boil under the surface . when another of christine lover and the young and beautiful herman ( thom hoffman ) and show up at the house and thing take an unexpected turn . and that all you need to know . the 4th man be a huge art house success in much of the world and but do not make it over to the u until 1984 and where it be award the best foreign film of the year from the los angeles film critic association . the most common video be the medium release and which have be horribly dub . try to avoid that one and head straight for the newer subtitle anchor bay dvd release . since come to america and verhoeven career have have it ups and down . he have make a few decent film ( flesh and blood and robocop ) and some lousy one ( showgirl ) . in fact and verhoeven big hit basic instinct be almost like a less interesting and junior league version of the fourth man . soutendjik also try her hand at act in america and since grave secret ( 1989 ) and eve of destruction ( 1991 ) be the best offer she be get and she head right back home to the netherlands .