Four of the Apocalypse (1975)

Good concept, poorly executed.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

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.

Four unfortunate souls seek a better existence after narrowly escaping a town wipe out, each of them flawed in their own way. After a deadly encounter with a devil in human form they pursue their goal more scarred than before. The journey proves fateful and maturing for the only one left.I'm trying to be philosophical, although this is maybe not the best way to describe Lucio Fulci's "Four of the Apocalypse". Testi plays a card shark who gets saddled with a loony tune, a miserable drunk and a prostitute after being thrown out of a town that's just suffered some "righteous" massacre. On their way to another town they encounter Chaco, a vicious madman who leaves them for dead after looting them. What happens next is something I did not expect from Lucio Fulci.Although the dubbing here is pretty bad, the acting uneven at best (though I did think Testi did perform admirably) and the music score horrendous the film possesses a strange kind of charm with it's humane unexpected twists. I don't want to blow the ending but the film's philosophical tone really hits home. Ultimately this film is about Testi's maturing along the way, a lawless land that still possesses a good dose of humanity when it's required and a solid revenge/redemption theme as well. Again, not what I expected from Fulci, but then he continually surprises with each film I decide to check out.There are at least two somewhat horrific sequences that Fulci manages to squeeze in here but in the end that's not what stays with you after this film. I'm not a western freak at all but I really liked this film and those who are partial to Fulci will surely enjoy it as well.

Being a huge Fulci fan who has enjoyed a wide selection of his films such as The Beyond, New York ripper , Zombie flesh eaters , right through to his lesser known films such as Contraband , Lizard in a woman's skin , Conquest and Don't torture a duckling i was excited to see Four of the apocalypse. Unfortunately my expectations were not met as this truly is an awful film. The plot is non existent , the soundtrack is terrible , the pace is slow and plodding and strangely enough for a Fulci film there is hardly any violence !! Unless you are a die hard spaghetti western fan avoid this like the plague and save your hard earned cash.

Although by standard genre conventions, I Quattro dell'apocalisse (Four of the Apocalypse) is definitely a (spaghetti) western, in many ways it is just as terrifying as any of director Lucio Fulci's more famous horror flicks.The story centers on four people who end up together by happenstance--they are all jailed in a small Utah town. After most of the town is massacred, the four are set free and try to make their way together to a city 200 miles distant. Although adapted from two Bret Harte stories, "The Luck of Roaring Camp" and "The Outcasts of Poker Flat", Fulci and screenwriter Ennio De Concini amped up the violence, added a character, Chaco (Tomas Milian) probably influenced by Charles Manson (and prescient of Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow portrayal in a way that must be more than happenstance), and embedded the Biblical "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" connection.In the Bible, the four horsemen represent the destructive phenomena of pestilence, famine, war and death. Here, there's more of a "seven deadly sins" flavor, as the four main characters represent greed/gambling, prostitution, alcoholism and insanity. Adding Chaco to the mix flips traditional morality on its head, as the four protagonists must bond as they try to help each other survive.The penultimate act is subtly mystical--it's almost as if the remaining protagonists have been temporarily transported to heaven, although the greatest tragedy occurs in this setting, too. Fulci slyly transforms the environment during this section, a change that actually begins to occur during the previous act, with a heavily symbolic downpour.