DVD Corner

The Unholy Four Blu-ray Review

“The Unholy Four” is a forgettable spaghetti western.

The Plot: Due to events surrounding a gold robbery, 4 asylum inmates (Chuck, Woody, Silver and Hondo) manage to escape their confines and head out into the world. For one of these men (Chuck) freedom turns out to be rather complicated due to his amnesia. Not knowing who he is or where he’s from, Chuck goes about seeking answers alongside his fellow inmates. Along the way, they encounter bounty hunters and backstabbers and engage in a good old fashioned bar fight.

Not to be confused with the 1954 film of the same name, the 1970 “The Unholy Four” is a spaghetti western that has very little to offer movie and western fans. From the title, one would imagine this film would revolve around the 4 inmates, and yet, writers Franco Rossetti and Mario di Nardo do very little with the main characters. Aside from Chuck’s character journey, we barely learn a thing about Woody, Silver and Hondo. Sure, they have scenes that establish their characters but there’s no character development here.

The story is equally bare bones as a lot of screentime is spent with characters meandering about. Chuck’s rocky journey to self-discovery is particularly overdone here and takes up too much time. A good 10-15 minutes could have easily been cut from this movie.

Truth be told, the highlight of this entire film is the score by Riz Ortolani. It’s basically just one track on repeat, but it is so catchy and memorable that you likely won’t care.

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 1.85:1 1080p. How does it look? Dirt specs are ever present, but the print has definitely been cleaned up. The clarity is certainly evident from start to finish.

Audio Track: 2.0 DTS-HD MA. How does it sound? The score and action deliver, but the dialogue sounds a bit muffled in spots.

The only extras are trailers for “Navajo Joe” and “Sabata.”

March 3, 2017 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Spaghetti Western, The Unholy Four Blu-ray Review