Tag: Fabio testi

Revolver

Revolver is a 1973 movie directed by Sergio Sollima.

Revolver tells the story of Vito Cipriani, a jail warden whose wife is kidnapped. In order to save her, Vito has to unravel the layers of a crime syndicate and rely on a recently freed prisoner.

There’s a basic Eurocrime movie formula: an international actor duo confronts the rotten pillars of the “system”, a hippie element is introduced and wild car chases and shootouts ensue. Revolver doesn’t stray far from the blueprint, yet it transcends the genre, proving itself as a smart, stylish crime movie.

Revolver’s place as one of the best Eurocrime movies is predicated on an accomplished Spaghetti Western director in Sergio Sollima and two terrific leads in Fabio Testi and Oliver Reed.

Testi displays his usual charming and cynical qualities in portraying Milo Ruiz, a prisoner with murky underworld connections. Testi’s sardonic nature provides a counter to Reed’s intensity.

Reed is extraordinary – particularly as the movie progresses. He plays a hardened prison warden whose life is unraveled when his wife is kidnapped. Reed’s expressions of shock and rage are perfect for Eurocrime cameras – his intense eyes convey the desperation of his character.

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Four of the Apocalypse

Four of the Apocalypse is a 1975 Western directed by Lucio Fulci.

Four of the Apocalypse tells the story of four petty criminals who find themselves on the run in the Utah desert. They are pursued by a savage outlaw before ultimately gaining retribution.

Here’s my quick review: this movie is a glorious, bloody mess.

Not much that happens in Four of the Apocalypse makes sense. The lead actor, Fabio Testi, is completely miscast in the desert. There is little reason for a pregnant prostitute, a drunk and a man obsessed with spirits to join together – nor is it clear why the crazed Chaco is following them.

Yet, the brilliance of European Westerns is that they are sloppy, weird, violent and take ridiculous chances. Fulci delivers a post-modern Western bathed in both blood and 70’s soft rock.

There’s a melodramatic quality to Four of the Apocalypse that’s more fitting of a TV mini-series. The washed out closeups and mawkish dialogue between Testi’s Stubby and Lynne Frederick’s Bunny is both sweet and horrendous. Testi is fine as a leading man – although he’s awkward in an action role. However, Frederick is given an atrocious role and plays down to its limitations.

The rest of the cast includes veteran character actor Michael J. Pollard as the drunken Clem and Harry Baird as the kind, unstable Bud. Pollard is solid in what is a one-note role. He’s built to be an accessory in Westerns. Baird is given the most unique character – he’s obsessed with communicating with the dead. However, he plays Bud with the simplicity of a developmentally stunted child.

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