Four of The Apocalypse

[cigar joe]

Four of the Apocalypse (1975) Well gave this a shot after reading Leone Admirer's review, found a used DVD on Amazon and gave it a look-see.

I guess you could call it a third wave or mod-SW, first wave being the original crop that were AW clones, second wave being the Leone's, Corbucci's, Solima's, and Petroni's definings of the genre.

Its sort of a SW road picture with Fabio testi Lynne Fredricks, Michael J. Pollard, and Harry Baird, that also has some SW faces Tomas Milian (TBG, Run Man Run, Companeros)Donald O'Brien (Run Man Run & Manjana) and also Lorenzo Robledo who you'll recognised from Leone Westerns in quite probably his most unforgetable scene.

It isn't a shooten up flick (but has some bloody sequences) so if thats your bag then it will  be a bit tedious in the snowbound mining town It also has a flaw and that is its really "dated" 70's score that takes you out of the mood at times, too bad since its really a good effort at what it was trying to do. A minor complaint is that Pollard could have be used a bit more, and also Milian but he makes up for his small part with his over the top performance as Chaco.

Lucio Fulci makes a good flick, nothing really inspired stylistically but you know your in the Spaghetti West. It was worthy of the collection.

Check out the "Spaghetti Virgins How I Learned love the dubs" thread for a more detailed review.

[HEX]

Four of the Apocalypse (1975) Well gave this a shot after reading Leone Admirer's review, found a used DVD on Amazon and gave it a look-see.

I guess you could call it a third wave or mod-SW, first wave being the original crop that were AW clones, second wave being the Leone's, Corbucci's, Solima's, and Petroni's definings of the genre.

Its sort of a SW road picture with Fabio testi Lynne Fredricks, Michael J. Pollard, and Harry Baird, that also has some SW faces Tomas Milian (TBG, Run Man Run, Companeros)Donald O'Brien (Run Man Run & Manjana) and also Lorenzo Robledo who you'll recognised from Leone Westerns in quite probably his most unforgetable scene.

It isn't a shooten up flick (but has some bloody sequences) so if thats your bag then it will  be a bit tedious in the snowbound mining town It also has a flaw and that is its really "dated" 70's score that takes you out of the mood at times, too bad since its really a good effort at what it was trying to do. A minor complaint is that Pollard could have be used a bit more, and also Milian but he makes up for his small part with his over the top performance as Chaco.

Lucio Fulci makes a good flick, nothing really inspired stylistically but you know your in the Spaghetti West. It was worthy of the collection.

Check out the "Spaghetti Virgins How I Learned love the dubs" thread for a more detailed review.

glad u somewhat liked it JOE. i think it is one of the most underated sw's(though it is no masterpiece).
i very much liked the little gimick it had going for it in the beginiing where when someone got shot all this over exaggerated blood would just jet out of the wound. unfortunatly the gimick ends with the title song never to be seen again.

[cigar joe]

i very much liked the little gimick it had going for it in the beginiing where when someone got shot all this over exaggerated blood would just jet out of the wound. unfortunatly the gimick ends with the title song never to be seen again.

Yea it was almost like it was out of a spray gun 

[HEX]

It's based on Brete Harte's "Outcasts of Poker Flat" btw.

are they simalar to eachother?


like...is  there a CHACO type character roaming around?

[cigar joe]

Yea it does actually mention Brete Harte's short stories as the basis in the credits, I am pretty shure Chaco's not in there though thats the Spaghetti ingredient in the film, 

[Banjo]

Tomas Milian is the only reason i bought the dvd and he doesn't disappoint but i wish we would have had a bit more of Chaco in the movie,because without him my attention span tends to drop somewhat!

[Leone Admirer]

I'm glad my reviews were good for something Joe! I actually found to my surprise that I liked this film and I'm glad you liked it too! Thanks for the advertisement to my reviews to!

[cigar joe]

Thanks for the advertisement to my reviews to!

No problem, enjoyed them a lot.

[Christopher]

I've gotten a chance to start watching some of the movies in my Italy box set, and I watched Four of the Apocalypse last night. This was the movie I was really anticipating to see, since I had said I was thinking about ordering it, and then someone suggested I go for the box set, which was good advice.

To be brief, I loved it! I didn't have a clue what to expect, just as I hadn't had a clue what to expect when I first watched Fulci's Zombie. The story was emotionally involving, and it helped that the performances were very good from everyone in the film. One of the best SW's I've seen to date.

[The Peacemaker]

I got the Once Upon a Time in Italy boxset for x-mas too Chris. Didn't get the chance to watch it yet. I watched Django, which is although very good it is EXTREMELY overrated, and The Great Silence which is brilliant and extremely underrated.

[spag fan]

I'd say Django is overrated as well as The Great Silence. Practically every review I've read of The Great Silence makes it out to be "the best non-Leone SW ever", and I just don't agree. Of the two, I like Django much more.

[Banjo]

I not sure if Great Silence is the best non-Leone SW and i wonder if many people say this because of  the unique snowbound visuals,exotic Morricone soundtrack and extremely downbeat and  brutal ending is such a drastic departure from any other SW-but very well done with it?
 

[boardwalk_angel]

I liked this film too.....maybe I'm reading too much into it (maybe not)......Stubby Preston's character development into what he becomes at the conclusion of the movie as Fulci's personal "bye-bye" to the SW, as they were by & large dying out,.......& a tip of the hat to Leone, Eastwood & FOD...kind of going full circle...as it ends-->...returning & flashing on the  SW beginning....as Stubby rides off.

[titoli]

Watched the movie tonight. Visually impeccable, as usual with Fulci. Still, it is slow-moving, with no inventiveness. The infant delivery part reminded me of Ford's movies, but it is not where SW is at. You see that a story is building up but leading up to nothing. I prefer, with all his errors and insufficiencies and excesses, the other Fulci western, Massacre Time, though I have to see Vengeance is Mine yet.
The soundtrack: better than Keoma's. But all soundtracks are betrter than Keoma's.
A mention for Fabio Testi. I liked him here. He can't play, but he has a presence Sure he could have been better than Gemma, Nero and any other italian westerner rolled into one, if only because physically more imponent. But he was born too late, as we all know.

[Banjo]

Watched the movie tonight. Visually impeccable, as usual with Fulci. Still, it is slow-moving, with no inventiveness. The infant delivery part reminded me of Ford's movies, but it is not where SW is at. You see that a story is building up but leading up to nothing. I prefer, with all his errors and insufficiencies and excesses, the other Fulci western, Massacre Time, though I have to see Vengeance is Mine yet.
The soundtrack: better than Keoma's. But all soundtracks are betrter than Keoma's.
A mention for Fabio Testi. I liked him here. He can't play, but he has a presence Sure he could have been better than Gemma, Nero and any other italian westerner rolled into one, if only because physically more imponent. But he was born too late, as we all know.

Fulci only did the two Titoli,Vengeance Is Mine was directed by Giavanni Fago.Surely you prefer Keomas music to Django Kill?