Bloodtype Online

    If there was one thing that was definitely a staple in film during the 60's and 70's it was the spaghetti western.   For those of you unaware the spaghetti western's were basically westerns that were filmed in Italy.  This is no exception although there is an anomaly this time around as it's directed by the Godfather of Gore himself, Lucio Fulci.   He's known for his surrealist style gore films such as Zombi, Gates of Hell, The Beyond, and many more.  Not to many fans realize that before Fulci was deemed the Godfather he was making sex comedies, gialli, and spaghetti westerns.   This film is certainly much different from his horror films and I was pretty excited to see it since I had only previously seen his work in the world of horror.

    "Four of the Apocalypse" is the story of a professional gambler named Stubby (Fabio Testi) who gets thrown in jail for his gambling ways.   Once in jail he's introduced to a prostitute named Bunny (Lynne Frederick), a gravedigger named Bud (Harry Baird), and a drunk named Clem (Michael J. Pollard).  After an attack on the town by masked bandits they manage to get released from jail only to travel on a horse and carriage together toward making a better life for themselves.   On the 200 mile ride they encounter a religious caravan, a sharpshooter named "Chaco", some people out for blood, a ghost town, a helpful gambling priest, and a town completely void of women but chalk full of men.   Sound interesting yet?  I thought so. 

    I'm sure by the description itself the movie sounds very bland but believe me when I tell you it's not.  There's more to the story itself but I want to leave a few things out so that I don't ruin everything for you when you see this one.  It's a pretty interesting film overall as it's much different from the other work that Fulci has done.   It has a decent coherent story which differs greatly from his works of surreal horror films.  The acting is pretty decent and the characters are amazingly fleshed out and relatable to some degree, which makes the movie that much more enjoyable.  

    Another thing that should be mentioned about the film is that it's one of the gorier westerns that I've seen and the gore in it is vintage Fulci.   It's not insane or even on par with his horror films, but then again there are no flesh eating zombies or creatures in this one.  But I will say that the scenes were people are getting shot have really good effects.   Once again they didn't call him the Godfather of Gore for nothing.

    The acting in the film is also pretty solid with Fabio Testi doing a great job in the lead role as Stubby the gambler.   Lynne Frederick does an excellent job playing the sweet and rather charming hooker and there's scenes in the movie where she manages to draw sympathy very well.  Harry Baird gives a great performance as the disturbed grave digger, and Michael J. Pollard gives a solid and humorous performance as the drunk of the group.   Tomas Milian does a great job as well as the sharp shooting killer "Chaco" and really makes the movie interesting upon his arrival on screen.

    But I have to say that although I really enjoyed the film, it's far from perfect.  The pacing of the film is rather awkward with the movie starting off with a bang, only to slow down in parts.   I will say that there is a decent amount of character development in the film, but at times it moves along just a tad too slow.  But it does however redeem itself in the third act to give you fulfillment after you've finished the film.

    Overall I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND this to fans of Fulci and Spaghetti Westerns as it's a pretty decent flick overall.   It's funny, slick, and rather emotional at parts and there is no doubt that it's not something you'll see in a Fulci flick everyday.  It's a pretty unique story and personally I found it to be a really good film.

Rating - ***

-Ed Demko