I quattro dell'Ave Maria

Plot synopsis:
Cat and Hutch arrive in El Paso where they unsuccessfully try to get bounty for Bill San Antonio from his last earthly remains – the boots. Instead they go to the bank manager Harold – which Bill in the first film disclosed as his partner in setting up the robberies – and announce themselves as Bill to see if they are received. They are, and convince him (not without some physical force) to make them a cashier’s check to be paid out in gold.
The banker visits the condemned man Cacopoulos, who is to be hanged the next day, and offers to help him escape if he restores the money. At night the deputy is knifed by two men, who let Cacopoulos out. He takes the dead man’s gun and shoots the two. He pours himself a footbath and tests the dead men’s boots to find a pair that fits. He then pays a visit to the bank manager. Cacopoulos reminds the manager that he and two others put him in jail for 15 years, and on his release framed him for murder with a stolen knife, that again was used to kill the deputy tonight. Consequently, he wants guarantees that he will not be tricked again. Harold throws the knife but Cacopoulos swings the chair so it strikes in the back, then swings back around and shoots the manager, adding that it is guaranty enough!
Dressed as a peon on a donkey Cacopoulos meets Cat and Hutch and robs them. They follow his trail south to Mexico and encounter people that he has given money – and a high wire performer Thomas, and assistant, that he offered money. They catch up with him in a village during a fiesta (that he has paid for). While Cat is lured away looking for him elsewhere, Caco, playing a joke on Hutch, appears before him and, in a quieter place, tells him about Harold and the other two ”friends” who shot his horse so he got caught after a bank robbery, and then framed him for murder. He says that he will give back their money, including what he has spent, if Hutch helps him collect his debts with the remaining two.
The first one is Paco who is a ”revolutionary” shown presiding over a kangaroo court condemning men to death for ”not fighting for country and freedom.” His men capture Cacopoulos and Hutch, but Cat enlists help from another ”revolutionary,” Canganceiro, by telling him about Cacopoulos´ ”treasure.” Together they defeat Paco’s men and the latter is killed by Cacopoulos, who in his wrath forgets to make him give back any money. After some pillaging by his men, Canganceiro starts another kangaroo court that executes people for ”fighting for country and freedom.” Cacopoulous is jailed until he tells where his treasure is. Caco attempts to escape by lulling the guards to sleep by telling the story of his heritage; his grandfather was a Greek who married a young Cherokee woman, and his father was one of their children. He told of how his father raised his family in a small mining town until he was mysteriously murdered, and how his grandfather, carrying little Caco, had to take his own son's body back to his own tribe. Hutch and Cat then help Cacopoulos escape, but he shoots off their saddles, quoting his grandfather that one partner is too little, and two are too many. They ambush the last two men of the pursuing Canganceiro bunch and take their horses.
They now follow Cacopoulos in the opposite direction, encountering dead Canganceiro men along the way, the last ones with their leader just outside Memphis. In Memphis they find Caco washing dishes in a saloon, together with the acrobat and assistant – because in this town people are only interested in gambling. That is substantiated by the fact that Cacopoulos has lost all his money while he was looking for Drake the third ”partner.”
Cat and Hutch visit Drake’s casino. Hutch loses all his money, while Cat spots the croupier looking at a hole in the ceiling. They put up Hutch to win money in a prizefight, buy weapons and give the rest to Cacopoulos with instruction for him to show up with it in the casino tomorrow.
That night, with some acrobatic prowess Thomas and Cat gain entrance to a room in the attic of the casino. There is the peek-hole down to the roulette table and a voice tube down to a basement room where a magnet can guide the roulette ball. Cat, Thomas and Hutch take positions in the two rooms. Cacopoulos however, seeks the company of a saloon girl and awakes in the morning robbed of his cash. He hastily replenishes it by forcibly inviting a bill collector to a ”game” of cards that Cacopoulos ”wins.” So Cacopoulos finally enters the casino, where he repeatedly puts the money on 13 until he breaks the bank with a $360,000 win. Drake and his men arrive and confront Cacopoulos leading to a showdown. The apposing parties wait for the roulette ball to stop, while the customers lie down on the floor and a Viennese Waltz is played (on suggestion from Cacopoulos). Drake’s men are shot and he is wounded, and taken by the vengeful customers, who realize they have been swindled. Cacopoulos faints from the shoot-out, but only his arm was wounded, and he leaves together with Cat and Hutch.

Tags: western, revenge, violence

Review:
The second, and in my opinion the best in the Cat Stevens/Hutch Bessy trilogy, Ace High' has enough fun for everyone to come out and play.
Eli Wallach joins the party for this film and, as a testament to the quality of actors involved, does not steal every scene he is in.
Director Colizzi went on to direct a few more films, but overall had a short-lived career, which is unfortunate because he tells a great story, and doesn't shy away from adding humor in awkward places, or generally being a little unconventional.
If you're a fan of spaghetti westerns you'll understand a lot of the humor herein, but even for the casual viewer there's plenty to keep you entertained.
All the actors do great work - from Spencer/Hill duo and Wallach himself to the black boxer champion, who gets beaten by Bud Spencer for $50.
this time playing an ethnic Greek-Mexican bandit with a Yiddish accent (oy vey) manipulating ol' buddies Hill & Spencer into a scheme to get back at the people who left him out to dry years back.
Colizzi directs with a sure hand, even allowing New York method actor Wallach to kvetch for several minutes at a time.
Ravioli and Fagioli Western from Giuseppe Colizzi trilogy with Terence Hill as Cat Stevens and Spencer as Hutch.
I Quattro dell'Ave Maria (original title) is an entertaining and amusing Macaroni Western starred by the notorious Italian couple , Hill and Spencer , pre-Trinity and Bambino .
Likable Terence Hill and stocky Bud Spencer team up again as the valiant and enjoyable duo .
This fun Pipperone Western deals with our intimate friends in Far West , they're two bank-robbers , the blue-eyes and sympathetic Terence Hill as Cat Stevens and a grumpy and goofy Bud Spencer as Hutch .
Then appears Cacopoulos (Eli Wallach) , a cunning thief who arranges to save himself from being hung on a fake charge , as he breaks out and steals Cat Stevens (Mario Girotti or Terence Hill , Massimo Giroti'son ) and Hutch Bessy (Carlo Perdesoli or Bud Spencer) a lot of cash and he also robs their horses .
Nevertheless , the cruel baddie is still alive and seeks avenge , he is a relentless saloon owner (Kevin MacCarthy of Invasion of the body snatchers) and supported by ominous hoodlums .This funny story contains crossfire , the usual slight fights and a little bit of action , pursuits and circus spectacle .
The humor is based on physical and personality differences of the starring , as Terence Hill is the sympathetic and brave hero and Bud Spencer is the corpulent and hunk man .
The movie contains gun-play , action Western , bloody spectacle and fist-fights .
Terence Hill as a two-fisted gunslinger and Spencer as a bouncing hunk are good but still not personified the Trinity hero characters .
Later on , the 'big time' duo of Spaghetti Western with humor such as ¨They call me Trinity¨, ¨ Trinity is still my name ¨ and sequels as ¨Troublemakers¨ were run out and for that reason were transfered in modern era film , playing the police/action genre and adventures as ¨All the way boys¨ also titled ¨Plane crazy¨ ; after that , they starred the successful ¨ Miami police series ¨, which belong the followings : ¨Crime Busters¨ , ¨Superfuzz¨ and ¨Supercops in Miami¨.
However , being the great American actor Eli Wallach from ¨Actor's Studio¨ who steals the show as Cacopoulus , a similar role to Tucco he performed in ¨The good , the bad and the ugly¨ .
At the picture appears customary Spaghetti secondaries who played ordinary characters as villains in numerous Spanish/Italian Western as Livio Lorenzon as Paco Rosa , Steffen Zacharias as Harold , Rick Boyd as Drake's blond henchman , Bruno Corazzari as Charlie , Frank Braña and Riccardo Pizzuti ,habitual secondary in Hill-Spencer films .
The movie is finely photographed by director of photography Marcello Masciocchi , and of course is shot in Almeria , Spain, location where were filmed hundreds of Western in the 60s and 70s .
Giuseppe directed a trilogy starred by Hill and Spencer as Cat Stevens and Hutch Bessy respectively .
A bit later on , Colizzi again directed Hill and Spencer at an adventure movie titled ¨Più Forte, Ragazzi!" or ¨All the Way Boys" or "Plane Crazy" , USA title .
The flick will appeal to famous pair fans , in fact , this was the second teaming of Terence Hill and Bud Spencer ..
When he escapes the noose, criminal Cacopoulos flees the charges against him and, on his way, robs two banker robbers  Cat Stevens (no, a different one) and Hutch Bessy.
They start their search for him but meanwhile Cacopoulos is also bent on revenge on those that betrayed him  and plans to get Cat and Hutch to help, whether they know about it or not.Screened under the main English title of Ace High, I recorded this film on late night TV hoping for a typical spaghetti western.
I know it was meant to be a comedy of sorts but it didn't sit very well with the spaghetti western genre because it made aspects of that feel like they had been badly done, as opposed to done for laughs.
Eli Wallach has fun in the central role and his performance is good value.
I couldn't shake the feeling that Hill had borrowed his performance from many other actors but hadn't been sure how to make it work for him; he didn't really have the screen presence required to carry off the character.
The support cast are all so-so, which works within the genre and as always much of the dialogue has that strange bad ADR/bad dubbing feel to it that I think is a prerequisite for the spaghetti genre.Overall this is an enjoyable enough spaghetti western but if you only know the Eastwood, "Fist Full" or Leone spaghetti films then you'll probably come away thinking this is a low-rent version of those (which I suppose it is).
(aka: ACE HIGH) Eli Wallach plays Cacopoulos, a generous bandit who gives away all he steals to those less off than he is.
That is, until he steals $300,000 from bounty hunters Cat Stevens and Hutch Bessy (Terence Hill and Bud Spencer) who then come trailing after him all over the southwest (or in this case, Almeria Spain) and want their money back.When they catch up with him, Cacopoulos let's them in on his primary motive.
It also has it's funny moments but isn't as humorous as Hill & Spencer's later spaghetti western; THEY CALL ME TRINITY (1971).
Character actor Eli Wallach is the real treat here as he carries his Tuco role from "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" over to "Ace High." This is a pre-Trinity pairing of Spencer, Hill and most of the fun and hilarity is carried on the able shoulders of Eli Wallach, who is more than up for the assignment.
The comical duo Bud Spencer and Terence Hill are teamed with a likable crook played by Eli Wallach.Hill as Cat Stevens and Spencer as Hutch Bessy show the western people what they are made of.Wallach as Cacopoulos is fantastic with the stories about his grandfather.And another veteran actor Kevin McCarthy makes a great character as Cacopoulos' third enemy, the sniveling casino owner Drake.All these people work great together in Ace High from 1968.There are some great scenes in this western comedy.Bud boxing with the champion is brilliant.Guess who wins.The sequence in the end with the roulette table and the violin...beautiful, just beautiful.These movies bring me back to my childhood, back to the early 90's.Those were the days Bud Spencer and Terence Hill ruled the world..
This early outing for Bud Spencer and Terence Hill sees the pair in fine form in a huge spaghetti western with loads of story, characters and tons of action to recommend it from the start.
Obviously the Spencer/Hill relationship is played for laughs and both actors put in commendable performances; Hill as the Eastwood-style sharp-shooter, the intelligent member of the pairing, and Spencer as the clumsy but lovable oaf who's as strong as an ox and complements Hill's character perfectly.The dramatic angle of the storyline comes in the sweaty form of Eli Wallach, reprising his role from THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY as a bandit with a heart of gold who ends up being used and abused by those he considered to be his friends.
Writer/director Giuseppe Colizzi understands the old adage "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" in regard to Wallach's performances so gives the public more of what they have seen already in the Sergio Leone film and the result is no less successful.
The film then plays its own ace by introducing arch-villain Drake, acted by American import Kevin McCarthy (INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS) as one of those slimy villains you just love to hate, and the resulting climax is wonderfully exciting.Great use of widely differing music is made throughout the film from epic-sounding vocals to waltzes at the end!
Technically the movie is proficient with a more than adequate budget put to good use in the sets and costumes; solid, slightly artistic photography; and well-staged action.
One of the best I've seen from Spencer and Hill and a film guaranteed to please fans of the genre..
fun, fun, fun; well made in every detail; fantastic score, beautiful photography, story with twists, lots of action, fun actors - having fun doing the movie and being fun to watch, this western comedy is a delight.
giuseppe colizzi was a fine underrated director dead too early that invented the characters of Spencer-Hill.
"Ace high" is, probably, his best western.
I am a huge fan of the three main stars of this movie - Wallach, Spencer & Hill - so it is with sadness that I have to report negatively on it.
This is a very poor imitation of spaghetti westerns such as 'The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly', and Wallach tries hard - but ultimately fails - to successfully re-create a Tuco-style character here.
He and Spencer are magnificent together in more honest, comic capers like 'Watch Out, We're Mad' but this movie tries to be something it's not - stylish.I guess it proves how brilliant Sergio Leone and Ennio Morricone are together, and how futile it is to attempt to copy their works.
I have to say this is in the top 5 best movies with both Terence Hill and Bud Spencer!
One bad thing about this movie is Eli Wallach.
Bud Spencer and Terence Hill click perfectly as a team and Eli Wallach, obviously enjoying himself, provides some funny moments.
During this he steals money owed to Hill and Spencer.
Wallach is probably one of the world's best character actors.
Hill and Spencer are wooden and this shows when pitted with an actor of Wallach's calibre.The guy is supposed to be a villain but you just can't help feeling sorry for him.
One can see the influence of Sergio Leone writ large all over this large-scale Spaghetti Western (and not just in the casting of Eli Wallach from THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY [1966]) – but Colizzi doesn’t in any way show a comparable talent!
The film happens to be the second teaming of popular Italian brawling duo Terence Hill and Bud Spencer (the first – GOD FORGIVES…I DON’T [1967] – was actually a prequel to this!) but Hill’s atypical glum countenance robs the film of some much-needed charisma.
Incidentally, neither title – American (which places an emphasis on the gambling subplot which comes into play only during the last third) or original, which roughly translates to FOUR GUNMEN OF AVE MARIA – is really satisfactory…but, then, neither is the film itself: one isn’t bothered by the sluggish pacing and extreme length of Leone’s Spaghetti Westerns, but that certainly can’t be said here!
Mind you, being a vintage outing, it’s moderately watchable and, at least, the print (via the Paramount DVD – how they suddenly felt the urge to release this I’ll never know!) was very nice…in contrast to its follow-up, BOOT HILL (1969), which I recently viewed by way of a horridly panned-and-scanned Public Domain edition.Anyway, the plot involves “lice-infected jailbird” Wallach being sprung from jail by a corrupt banker to retrieve a sum of money ‘stolen’ from him by Hill and Spencer; there follows an endless series of chases and double-crosses – with occasional interjections from black tightrope-walker Brock Peters and, it goes without saying, numerous stops for the duo’s trademark brawling antics.
"Ace High" is an adequate example of the Spaghetti Western genre that top-bills Eli Wallach as Cacopoulos, a bandit released from jail who's determined to avenge himself since his partners had abandoned him.
He doesn't exactly endear himself to bounty hunters Cat Stevens (Terence Hill) and Hutch Bessy (Bud Spencer) when he takes their money and decides to share the wealth with those less fortunate.
Yet, they all hook up (along with Thomas, an acrobat played by Brock Peters), in various attempts to get rich.Directed by Giuseppe Colizzi, this so-so film lacks the mastery of Sergio Leone, and doesn't tell a particularly interesting story (at least, not one that sustains itself for over two hours).
However, if you're intrigued by the casting of Kevin McCarthy in such a lark, be advised that he doesn't show up until an hour and 46 minutes into the story.The unorthodox robbery of a casino during the climax does help "Ace High" stand out a little bit.
This film essentially begins with a man named "Cacopoulos" (Eli Wallach) sitting in jail waiting to be hung for a murder he didn't commit.
Fortunately, he manages to escape and then proceeds to rob two drifters named "Cat" (Terence Hill) and "Hutch" (Bud Spencer) of a large amount of gold that they had just acquired from a bank the day before.
Needless to say, wanting their money back both Cat and Hutch set out in the same direction as Cacopoulous in an effort to track him down before he can spend all of it.
Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this film is a sequel to the movie "God Forgives...I Don't!" which is probably best to see first in order to gain a better understanding of the overall course of events.
"Ace High" (1968) qualifies as one of the better hybrid action/comedy spaghetti westerns that followed in the wake of Sergio Leone's trend-setting bounty hunter movie "A Fistful of Dollars." Variously titled overseas as either "Revenge In El Paso" or "Four Gunmen of Ave Maria," this handsomely-produced, elaborately-staged, sun-drenched, shoot'em up shares something in common with the Lee Van Cleef oater "Death Rides A Horse" (1968) in that our lice-ridden hero (EIi Wallach) got double-crossed by his outlaw buddies and left behind for the law to catch while they made good their escape.
Italian western buffs who aren't familiar with this well choreographed dustraiser need to saddle up and watch the bare bones Paramount DVD with enhanced widescreen to see what other less well-known helmers were doing with the genre while Leone rode herd over sagebrushers.For the record, blue-eyed Terence Hill plays Cat Stevens (like the folk singer but no relation to him) and Bud Spencer co-stars as Hutch, his beefy, barrel-chested sidekick who shuns a Stetson.
A clue to its filming location is the lopsided anvil-shaped mountain in the background that dominates the long scenes not only in "Ace High" but also "For A Few Dollars More" and "The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly" the way that the Paramount logo mountain stood out against the studio sets in the old "Bonanza" TV series.
Another dead giveaway that this is a foreign western is the perfectly synchronized but too cool dubbing of Hill and Spencer.
Some of the dialogue sounds like it was translated into the English by foreigners, because nobody would talk that way, but that's what makes Italian movies of any genre so much fun.Actually, "Ace High" is the second entry in the only cinematic trilogy that Hill and Spencer starred in.
"Ace High" picks up where Colizzi's "God Forgives, But I Don't" wrapped up with the explosive death of bandit Bill San Antonio (American expatriate Frank Wolff of "A Stranger In Town").
Spaghetti westerns always had more plot than they needed.
One of the neat touches that occur through "Ace High" is little bits and pieces like the dusty boot prints that Cat and Hutch leave when they saunter across Harold's blood red carpet in this upstairs office.
Anyway, Cat and Hutch chase Caco across the parched southwest and run across a traveling circus sideshow Thomas (Brock Peters) who performs high-wire (in this caserope) acts.
Hill/Spencer teamed up with Wallach can't go wrong.
Yes if you know your Hill/Spencer you ought to know that they did three darker, and more serious westerns in the late 60's before they find their stride in "They call him Trinity".
All three were directed by Guiseppe Colizzi who later directed them in their first non-western "All the way boys" in 1972.
Eli Wallach is very good as the Greek.
And it feels almost like he came directly from the shoot of "The good the bad the ugly" to the set of this movie.
Bud Spencer is also surprisingly good here, but Terence is just a bit too stiff and almost somewhat boring.
Mainly because of Wallach and Spencer and a solid directing by Colizzi.
All in all Spencer/Hills best movie together before their heyday..
I think another reviewer for the film here got it right, it's got the trademarks of a spaghetti Western but may not suffice for the casual viewer.
I've seen the Hill-Spencer team up in a couple of other films ( "Boot Hill", "God Forgives...I Don't") and I just don't see the chemistry.