3. Spetters (1980)
The film that helped to launch Verhoeven in Hollywood, Spetters is a 1980 heavily sexual and violent tale of three motocross racing men who long to become champions and escape their provincial surroundings. Asides from motocross, their only fun is drugs, alcohol and a weekly disco. They meet chip van temptress played by Renee Soutendijk who manipulates each of the men to try and improve her lot in life. Homosexuality and hard core Christianity are two more subjects explored in Spetters. I like Spetters because I think it is a very realistic film. Verhoeven portrays people struggling to rise above their situations and they act in a manner that anyone would do given their circumstances. This is not Hollywood Brat Pack land - there is a verisimilitude and limitations that are imposed on the characters. These make Spetters believable and compelling. There is a lot of sex but it is shown in a matter of fact, unflinching way - not as exploitation. The nudity is just a by product of the film, not its selling point. Oh Lord! This film is just so much better than Robocop!