REVIEW – Four of the Apocalypse

Published on: 30th August, 2010

REVIEW - Four of the Apocalypse  | read this item

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Whilst he will forever be remembered for his ultra gruesome zombie movies, cult Italian filmmaker Lucio Fulci enjoyed a career that lasted for almost forty years, making his directorial debut back in 1959. Initially finding success with comedy (including several collaborations with Toto, then one of Italy’s most popular actors), Fulci would eventually try his hand in other genres, with his first notable effort being the western Tempo di massacro (Massacre Time) in 1966. Having enjoyed minor acclaim with several giallo thrillers, Fulci returned to the spaghetti western format in 1975 with I quattro dell’apocalisse (Four of the Apocalypse). Boasting a cast of various nationalities – British, American, Italian and even South African – and a stylish score that was typical of the era, Four of the Apocalypse would fail to find an audience and would eventually become one of his many efforts that would become lost for decades.

Arriving in a small Utah town, petty con Stubby Preston (Fabio Testi) immediately finds himself in trouble with the law and is thrown in jail, where he meets three other misfits who have been thrown in for various misdemeanours, including prostitute Bunny (Lynne Frederick), drunk Clem (Michael J. Pollard) and crazed black man Bud (Harry Baird). After the town is attacked by masked bandits, the sheriff orders the four to leave and so they head out across the desert in place of somewhere that will accept them. On their journey, Stubby discovers that his female companion is pregnant and soon afterwards cross paths with Chaco (Tomas Milian), who drugs them and rapes Bunny before once again disappearing out into the lawless frontier. Finally escaping their fate in the desert, they group continue on their trek to a far away town, but when the foursome begin to succumb to the evils of the wilderness, Stubby eventually decides that he must take revenge on Chaco.

The various criticisms that have been thrown at Fulci – and indeed Italian horror – over the years include poor dubbing, inconsistent plots and disappointing endings. Thankfully, the only one that Four of the Apocalypse is guilty of is the first, and this is not too much of an issue. Whilst the likes of E tu vivrai nel terrore – L’aldilà (The Beyond) and Lo squartatore di New York (The New York Ripper) are extremely graphic and amongst his most popular, Fulci dabbled with so many genres that there are countless films in his repertoire that remained undiscovered for many years. Watching Four of the Apocalypse, one can’t help but wish that he had directed more westerns (a genre he occasionally flirted with but never fully embraced) as, whilst he may have lacked the style of Sergio Leone, he certainly brought something exciting to the formula.

Testi brings a strong performance to the central role of Stubby, beginning the story as a selfish crook and slowly developing into the heart of the movie. His range of emotion is impressive, portraying defeat during the rape of Bunny and genuine sorrow as she passes away shortly after childbirth. This transformation of his character makes the inevitable vengeance against Chaco at the end of the film all the more powerful. Fulci should be praised for allowing his characters the chance to grow instead of throwing out one violent set piece after another. There are moments of shocking violence and a brief hint of cannibalism that is guaranteed to leave a nasty taste in the viewer’s mouth, but they are necessary to the story and not included purely to disgust.

Many of Fulci’s regular collaborators would make their first appearance here, with composers Franco Bixio, Fabio Frizzi and Vince Tempera later re-uniting for Sette note in nero (The Psychic) two years later. The score may be a little unusual for a western but somehow it works, not choosing to simply copy Ennio Morricone’s music from the ‘Dollars’ trilogy like many composers did. Cinematographer Sergio Salvati would become another veteran of Fulci (including 1979’s Zombi 2) and for the more part did an impressive job on Four of the Apocalypse, although a couple of daytime scenes do appear a little bleached. Testi (who allegedly performed stunts on the western classic l buono, il brutto, il cattivo/The Good, the Bad and the Ugly) is ably supported by an adequate cast that included English beauty Lynne Frederick, Michael J. Pollard (who would later become known to American audiences for his role in Scrooged opposite Bill Murray) and Harry Baird.

Whilst the movie kicks off with a bang, its pace does slow somewhat midway through, but the actors manage to keep the story moving and various characters are introduced throughout their journey. What is perhaps most impressive is how Fulci managed to add an emotional element to the film, something that much of his work would lack. The death of Bunny is a truly moving moment and Testi’s ability to show his pain through his eyes makes the scene one of the director’s most effective. Although it may not satisfy those fans that only like his gory output, others who are curious about his earlier work and range as a filmmaker will no doubt enjoy this underrated western.

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