Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

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.

Four outcasts are thrown out of town by corrupt sheriff Donal (DR. BUTCHER) O'Brien. There's card-sharp Fabio Testi, pregnant prostitute Lynn Frederick, drunk Michael J. Pollard and Harry Baird, called a "Mexican" by some other characters though his ancestors are definitely from a big continent across the Atlantic. Their struggle to survive in the desert is bad enough but the filth really hits the fan-blades when they encounter sadistic outlaw Tomas Milian, star of a few million spaghetti Westerns.There is a rape scene, a bloody gunfight with shotguns, and Lucio Fulci is one of the few who would throw a live skinning and cannibalism into a western. (Once you find out who gets cannibalized, you'll want to barf right there.) And only Fulci could turn such a western into a colossal snore. He plays the old exploitation trick of throwing all the red stuff into the first half, just to keep the audience from walking out, and then practically nothing happens during the second half. By the time Testi catches up with Milian you won't care who murders who, as long as the film comes to an end.This was supposedly based on a story by Bret Harte. I'm no authority on that writer but based on his reputation, the source material must have been better than the movie.I won't give this flick a "Bomb" rating, only because the gore is well-executed and Lynn Frederick, as always, is easy on the eyeballs. However, judging from this and CONQUEST, Uncle Lucio should have stuck to the horror movies he did so well. I'll be taking my own advice when I rent Fulci films in the future.

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.

I'd imagine Lucio Fulci was developing his taste for the bizarre with "Four of the Apocalypse". In 1975, skin peelings, cannibalism, and stylized rape in a "spaghetti western" probably was shocking. Unfortunately today, these seem rather tame, and are little more than curiosities. What we are left with is a very un-western-like western. The film plays like a cross between a western, a weak horror spectacle, and a 70s flower power message movie. The four strangers wander aimlessly, mostly on foot, wandering almost as much as the very weak script. While the acting, and main character development is acceptable, long scenes such as the endless child birth, tend to drag the movie down. One other thing, the music seems totally out of place for a western. "Four of the Apocalypse" is a very slow western with a few outdated shocks, that simply doesn't hold interest because of the meandering script. - MERK