The Four of the Apocalypse (1975) is a really strange Spaghetti Western from Lucio Fulci, more known for his horrors than his Westerns, that is probably the last great (or near great) film the genre produced. Superior to those other two Twilight Spaghetti Westerns, Mannaja and Keoma, this film constantly defies expectations and takes odd, unusual turns that can’t be foreseen. The direction is excellent, as is the acting by the five principle characters, especially from Lynne Frederick ( a rare instance of a developed female character in a Spaghetti, although sadly she has to endure the seemingly requisite rape scene) and Thomas Milian, who plays one of the most evil, depraved villains I have ever seen, Spaghetti or not. The music score complete with sub-Simon and Garfunkle songs supplied by The Cook and Benjamin Franklin Group, actually works quite well, more so than in the other aforementioned Twilight Spaghetti Westerns. Action scenes are staged with gusto and the final confrontation is extraordinary, one of my favourite climaxes, but Fulci is not overtly concerned with shoot outs and duels. Instead, he loads the film with mythic and symbolic significance, not unlike in Keoma, and turns the film into almost a biblical fable, complete with extreme weather (pouring rain and freezing snow) and characters being destroyed by their own innate nature. It is certainly a movie to watch again and again.
