At the time this film was made there were already dozen's of spaghetti westerns made, what made this one special in its own right was the acting and direction. The acting was top notch with Fabio Testi vs Tomas Milan, two greats from this era, who have gone on to star in many movies of note on there own. The vendetta is not uncommon nor is the revenge factor, its just this is four against the apocalypse. this movie has a great soundtrack, which is very underrated and had great direction by Lucio Fulci, not just the master of terror, but also the master giving instructions to his actors on how to act grief, horror and revenge, I highly recommend this film, I know I give it a ten, but try to watch an episode of the Rifleman or Maverick and then quickly watch this movie. It will change your life.

I appreciate the DVD for this film very much. It seems that the original American version was not the same as the Italian release. So, in this restoration, the missing bits have been added. But, since it was so many years later that it was reassembled, the new portions have captions--not dubbed like the rest of the film. Some may dislike this, but I like that you can note what was and wasn't in the original release.The film begins with four small-time misfits sharing a jail cell--a gambler (Fabio Testi), a pregnant prostitute (Lynne Frederick), a drunk (Michael J. Pollard) and a crazy man (Harry Baird). They are eventually thrown out of town and find themselves in the inhospitable countryside. Considering how hot and dry it is, it seems that their troubles MAY be over when they meet up with a hippie-esque guy named Chaco (Tomas Milian). Chaco is amazing with the gun and soon they have plenty to eat and they have every reason to be happy. But the gambler seems to reserve his judgment here--and soon you learn it's for good reason. Chaco is a maniac--and he soon begins terrorizing them and quickly kills a posse looking for him. Now, all trussed up, the three friends can only sit back when Chaco rapes the lady. He then leaves them to die--without horses and in the middle of nowhere. What's next? Well, watch the film--as there's a lot more to follow in this odd little Italian western.Although I enjoyed this film, it had a very sloppy quality about the film. Continuity was often a problem. In one case, it's warm and they're in a desert when a woman goes into labor--suddenly they're in a snow-filled town! Also, the women appears through most of the film to be, at most, 4-5 months pregnant--then gives birth to a healthy baby. It's also NOT a film for kid--with lots of blood, rape, unintentional cannibalism and more! The thing that bothered me most, however, was the awful hippie-style music with the dreadful singing--very sappy and very 1970s.But there also was quite a bit to like. The film, at times, had some real heart. I liked the portion set in the mining town--the miners were great characters and offered a nice contrast to all the violence early in the film. Also, the character development of several in the film (such as the gambler and the drunk) was nice--very nice. An oddly moving film that, with a bit of editing and cleanup, could have been a classic.By the way, I did think it was odd that the western began in a lawless town in Utah. I am sure there were some, but considering Utah was mostly filled with Mormons at that time, this did seem a bit unlikely. Also, the prostitute (Lynne Frederick) was once married to Peter Sellers as well as David Frost. This beautiful lady died very, very young--apparently from the effects of drugs and alcohol.

Filmed with a sleepy haze, creating an almost dream-like atmosphere similar to Fulci's Conquest, it was obvious (outside of the title) that Fulci and writer Ennio De Concini (Salon Kitty) were drawing religious parallels with some sequences and imagery. Each of the four survivors also seemed to represent unfavorable aspects of the pioneering West including gambling (Stubby), sex (Bunny), alcoholism (Clem) and insanity (Bud). Is it a straight-up Spaghetti Western or an allegory? Tomas Milian is chilling as the diabolical Chaco and Fabio Testi delivers a surprisingly touching performance as the seasoned gambler Stubby. Lynne Frederick was absolutely gorgeous as Bunny, Pollard does a solid job as comedic relief and Harry Baird lends the film a child-like innocence, despite his insanity. There's really not much I can say about the acting or the locations but I did have a problem or two with Four of the Apocalypse. For starters it was boring as all hell, it just seemed to go on and on without any real focus, the journey seemed to be about the characters themselves and not where they were going or where they might end up. Another issue I had was the score, UGH! I found myself loathing the hippie, folksy score by Frizzi, Bixio and Tempera with an indescribable intensity. There was nothing even remotely western about the music, not one thing.Aside from pacing and score, I had an issue with the editing, it seemed to jump about from sequence to sequence with little to no explanation or resolution. One minute Stubby is discovering Bud's grisly secret, the next they're shouting goodbye to him. Perhaps it was the print I was viewing but where was the confrontation between Stubby and Bud? Was one ever filmed? It just felt disjointed.Four of the Apocalypse was a cool Spaghetti Western but it was a bit of a chore to get through, it seemed to never end as the four wander aimlessly, constantly bumping into new people to the tune of shitty, inappropriate music. In other words, if you're not a patient person, I guarantee this will tax whatever patience you do possess. I enjoyed this film on a different level from films like The Great Silence, Django or The Good, The Bad & The Ugly because I liked the characters more than the actual story but this is a rough film to recommend to anybody not familiar with Fulci's work or Spaghetti Westerns in general. I'd recommend renting first.

I'm a fan of Fulci's work but until now had only ever seen the splatter movies from his mid- to-late career. On the basis of this, I will dig deeper and check out more of his earlier films.This is a very strange Western, beautifully shot with a bizarre psychedelic score. Performances are good, theatrical and a little overblown (the dubbing never helps), but they fit well within this unusual morality play.The film is loaded with symbolism, concerned with themes of birth, death and redemption. Fulci was an artful director when he wanted to be, but never concerned himself with linear plots. The story here is easier to follow, but takes an interesting turn towards the end when Stubby and Bunny find the town populated by men. Pacing up to this point was sharp, but here things did drag a little.There are some well-handled action sequences, a little hard-boiled violence (but leagues away from the incredible sadism of something like 'New York Ripper') and some humorous touches, mainly provided by the character of Clem, the town drunk. The whole thing has an acid-fried feel that's a bit redolent of Jodorowsky.Worthy of repeated viewings and further study. The conventions of the Western have provided a great canvas for many auteurs - Fulci makes the most of stock characters and visual cues, imbuing them with all the sub-text he wanted to get across.I'll definitely check out 'Massacre Time' after this. Anyone who's been bored or insulted by the director's later stuff like 'Voices From Beyond' should watch this and see the full breadth of the grumpy old feller's ability.