The Unholy Four – Kino Lorber (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1970
Director: Enzo Barboni
Writers: Franco Rossetti, Mario di Nardo
Cast: Leonard Mann, Woody Strode, Peter Martell, Helmuth Schneider, George Eastman, Ida Galli, Alain Naya, Dino Strano, Andrea Aureli

Release Date: January 10th, 2017
Approximate running time: 94 Minutes 29 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Italian, DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $29.95

"Leonard Mann plays an amnesiac, Chuck Mool, who escapes from prison with three other inmates, making his way to his hometown to find out the truth about his identity. While in town he finds out he has a reputation as a fast gun and that the town is in the midst of a power struggle between two wealthy ranchers, one of whom apparently is his father.” – Synopsis provided by the Distributor

Video: 4.25/5

The Unholy Four comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 19.7 GB

Feature: 19.1 GB

No information is provided about the transfer. That said, the source is in great shape. Flesh tones look accurate, colors look very good, details look crisp, black levels fare well, and grain remains intact.

Audio: 4/5 (DTS-HD Mono Italian, DTS-HD Mono English)

This release comes with two audio options: a DTS-HD mono mix in Italian and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. Both audio mixes sound clean, clear, and balanced. Range-wise, these audio mixes sound very good; the ambient sounds are well-represented, and the score sounds robust. Included with this release are removable English subtitles. Unfortunately, the English subtitles are a direct translation of the English-language track.

Extras:

Extras for this release include reversible cover art and trailers for Navajo Joe and Sabata.

Summary:

Suffering from amnesia, a young man named Chuck Moll escapes with three other patients from an asylum. Chuck, with the help of his three new friends, returns to his home town only to discover that a war has erupted between two rivaling families. Chuck’s family has a long-standing feud with another family. And shortly after his arrival, a man who says that he is Chuck’s father. talks him into killing a man.

The Unholy Four is the directorial début of Enzo Barboni, whose next two films, They Call Me Trinity and Trinity Is Still My Name!, would make him one of the more prominent directors’ working in the spaghetti Western genre in the 1970’s. The score for The Unholy Four was composed by Riz Ortolani, whose other notable scores include Day of Anger, Don’t Torture a Duckling, House on the Edge of the Park, and Cannibal Holocaust.

With The Unholy Four, Enzo Barboni creates one of his most intense and gritty-looking westerns. Visually, The Unholy Four is overflowing with many great moments that are wonderfully realized by cinematographer Mario Montuori. The Unholy Four really shines when it comes to its action sequences. This film’s greatest strength is its ability to create memorable action sequences.

The Unholy Four has a solid cast that includes Leonard Mann (Forgotten Pistolero) in the role of this film’s protagonist, Chuck Mool, Peter Martell (Death Walks at Midnight), George Eastman (Rabid Dogs), Ida Galli (The Bloodstained Butterfly), and Woody Strode (Once Upon a Time in the West). The performances are strong all around. Ultimately, The Unholy Four is an underrated spaghetti western that is waiting to be rediscovered.

The Unholy Four gets a strong audio/video presentation from Kino Lorber, recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer