Six-String Samurai

First, the bad stuff. The film will not appeal to people who can't deal with camp, with pure Lynch-like strangeness, or people who demand a big budget production.

However, those who are willing to give an oddball film a chance will find this to be a real gem of an indie flick. Imagine if you will Buddy Holly, Mad Max, and Jet Li bundled into one character, fighting across a desolate warped postapocalyptic Nevada. The dynamics in the movie are all about conflict... Rock & Roll against Metal, Communism against Capitalism, bravery versus despair. Mix that in with "Weird West" touches, demented nuclear families, and warriors who duel with both blade and guitar. There is even a hint of the manga, "Lone Wolf and Cub" thrown in. That and some excellent Russian-influenced rockabilly.

Some of the scenes fall flat, sure... but few movies try to reach for such imaginative and demented heights... and few succeed to this extend on a shoestring budget. Despite its shortcomings, the action sequences are exciting and well-done, and one really sees an American Apocalypse which never was -- but in some ways happened, in our heads, at least.

Yes, this film does have it's faults. Most low budget films do. But the overall theme of this work is a multi-layered spoof of many genres. The Hong Kong fantasy samurai film, end-of-the-world pictures, rock and roll musicals, and the obsession with Las Vegas.

I had the fortune to see this film at a multiplex in Las Vegas, and was not disappointed. Buddy is a bad-ass rock'n'roller with a katana hidden in his guitar with his sights set on being the next king of Las Vegas. "The Kid" is annoying and has a ear-splitting shriek (Why wouldn't he? No playmates, no cartoons, just empty land and not a Gymboree or video arcade in sight!), and the various bad guys (loved the evil bald bowlers) come in just about every shape and size.

Elements of "Wizard of Oz", "El Topo", "Mad Max", Sam Peckenpah, and God knows how many Kung Fu/Samurai films are in this, seasoned with a handful of self-conscious humor.

Living in the Las Vegas area, I'm familiar with most of the scenes featured (The bombed out gas station is the ghost town of Rhyolite, Nevada), so it was a kick seeing some of those places in a film.

It isn't for everyone, and some will dislike it, mostly for it's campiness, but this is a film that doesn't take itself too seriously...and neither should you.

I had the rare honor of viewing this movie on Sunset the week it came out...and watching what was the accumulation of massive amounts of hard work...I thoroughly enjoyed the film...It's so original it's frightening...The choreography and a perfect mix of acid surf music thrust you on this adrenalin surged ride..that has been influenced by everything...Buddy(our hero) is the love child of Clint Eastwood, Mr.Blonde and Stephen Dorf. The sword play is incredible...but Jeffrey Falcon's acting could use some work...but, hey...who's watching the acting... He slices! He dices!...He goes through an entire hillside of Russian soldiers!...This movie is great following a night on the town...!

I love strange and unique movies that create a bizarre world and invite you in to visit. Movies like 'Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!', 'El Topo', 'Eraserhead' and 'Repo Man' for example. As profoundly odd as those movies are, they feel natural to me, not contrived attempts at making a "cult movie" ala Troma. I don't like Troma's output much and can think of very few of those kind of self consciously quirky movies that I actually like ('The Adventures Of Buckaroo Banzai' is one, 'Killer Klowns From Outer Space' is another). 'Six-String Samurai' for me is closer to the contrived Troma approach than the naturally strange Russ Meyer/Coen brothers one. It's the kind of movie that is more fun to describe to someone else than to actually sit through yourself. Now it isn't a complete failure, far from it. I did enjoy parts of it a lot, but it kinda dragged on, and for me just didn't live up to its potential. The initial premise was good, but the script needed a lot more work. As it stands it would have made a neat 50-60 minute short. Jeffrey Falcon plays Buddy, a guitar slingin' samurai who is on a journey to Lost Vegas to become the new King of rock'n'roll. In this America you see, the Russians took over after they dropped the Bomb in the 50s. Buddy encounters lots of oddballs along the way, reluctantly looks after The Kid (Justin McGuire) , and ends up having a showdown with Death (Stephane Gauger). 'Six-String Samurai' deliberately echoes 'El Mariachi', 'Mad Max 2' and the Lone Wolf and Cub series, but never reaches the heights of its inspirations. I always like to encourage low budget film makers trying to push the envelope. 'Six-String Samurai' doesn't quite do it for me, but I hope Lance Mungia and Jeffrey Falcon continue to make movies. Who knows, guys, maybe next time?

This film can best be described as a post-apocalyptic spaghetti western samurai fantasy. Our hero is a taciturn Buddy Holly look-alike traveling with samurai sword and six string guitar as he treks across scenic Death Valley on his way to America's last outpost of civilization, Lost Vegas, where he expects to be coronated as the new King, Elvis having died without naming a successor. Accompanying him is a stereotypical post-apocalyptic bleating child snatched right out of "Fistful of Dollars". Buddy slices and dices his way through an evil bowling team, the Russian army, would-be usurpers to the throne, and anyone else who gets in his way. The music is good and it's wonderfully filmed, so have some fun and enjoy the ride.