Bandits robbing a bank in Dodge City create a diversion by setting an insane asylum ablaze.

The Unholy Four — Chuck Moll (Leonard Mann), Woody (Woody Strobe), Silver (Peter Martell) and Hondo (George Eastman) — escape, form a quick partnership and head to a town named Osaka.

Hondo, Woody and Silver want to recover the gold stolen from the bank. Chuck Moll wants to rediscover himself. He suffers from amnesia; the only thing he can remember are the last three years spent in that asylum.

But members of the Udo gang, who were responsible for the bank holdup, recognize him almost immediately.

And since the Udos have been feuding with the Caldwell family, Mr. Udo and son Tom try to use Chuck’s loss of memory to their advantage.

They convince him that Joe Caldwell is a power-hungry rancher, up to no good. Then they send Chuck to the cemetery to ambush Caldwell.

Turns out Caldwell stops by the cemetery every night to mourn the death of his oldest son — Chuck Moll.

And that Sheila Udo (Evelyn Stewart), the woman Chuck thinks is his sister, is really his former lover.

But will Chuck figure that all out in time?

Leonard Mann as Chuck Moll, upset about the latest twist in the story about his past in The Unholy Four (1970)

George Eastman as Hondo, having fun playing poker in The Unholy Four (1970)

Review:

With those plot twists and a cast that includes four legitimate stars and a decent supporting cast, you get the feeling this film represents an opportunity missed.

There’s never any explanation of why the Udos are into thievery. And for asylum inmates, our four heroes seem pretty darn sane. Oh, Woody likes to play a church organ. Hondo admits to feigning insanity to avoid a hangman’s noose. But what about Silver? None seem prime candidates for the loony bin.

Perhaps Barboni was simply out of his element trying to make a serious Western. He’s best known as director of the Trinity films.

Woody Strode as Woody, the strongman who escapes from the asylum in The Unholy Four (1970)

Peter Martell as Silver, in a disagreement with Chuck Moll in The Unholy Four (1970)

Directed by:
Enzo Barboni

Cast:
Leonard Mann … Chuck Moll
Woody Strode … Woody
Pietro Martellanza … Silver
as Peter Martell
George Eastman … Hondo
as Luca Montefiori
Ida Galli … Sheila Udo
as Evelyn Stewart
Helmuth Schneider … Joe Caldwell
Alain Naya … Alan Caldwell
Dino Strano … Sam
Lucio Rosato … Mr. Udo
Andrea Aureil … Tom Udo
as Andrew Ray
Silvana Bacci … Saloon Girl

aka:
Ciakmull — L’uomo della vendetta
Chuck Moll

Score: Riz Ortolani

Runtime: 90 min.

Ida Galli (Evelyn Stewart) as Sheila Udo, Chuck’s one-time lover in The Unholy Four (1970)

Dino Strano as Sam, one of the Ugo family’s top gunhands in The Unholy Four (1970)

Memorable lines:

Tom Udo to sister Sheila: “You know, you’ve got a helluva lot to offer. Too bad we’re brother and sister. Yeah, I could sure show you what it’s all about.”

Alan Caldwell to his father: “The situation with the Udos is getting worse all the time. And what are you doing about it? I’ll tell you. You’re sitting around brooding all day, about a dead man. A dead man, understand? Chuck Moll is dead.”

Lucio Rosato as Tom Udo, even more conniving than his father in The Unholy Four (1970)

Alain Naya as Adam Caldwell, a jealous son upset that a problem has returned in The Unholy Four (1970)

Trivia:

This marked the only Spaghetti Western for Helmuth Schneider, who was born in Munich, wounded during World War II and often wound up playing a Nazi officer on film. He died two years after this movie was released, at age 51 in a traffic accident in Rio de Janiero.