1998 Directed by Lance Mungia
In a post-apocalyptic world where the Russians have taken over a nuked USA and Elvis is king of Lost Vegas, Buddy is a '50s rocker and wandering warrior rolled into one, too-cool package. Armed with his six-string in one hand and his sword in the other, Buddy is on his way to Vegas to succeed Elvis as King. Along the way, he saves an orphan who decides to tag along.
Holocausto Samurái, Шестиструнный самурай, סמוראי ששת המיתרים, Шестиструнний Самурай, Rock and roll szamuráj, Самураят китарист, 吉它武士, 6현의 사무라이, Elvis nebo Samuraj?, Droga sześciu strun
USAPG-13
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USAPG-13
Japan
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Or Lone Wolf and the only kid who unequivocally and absolutely deserves to be hit in the head with a hammer.
“I don’t do polka, baby.”
My last college roommate was pretty cool. He introduced me to Ingmar Bergman, and I shared the glory that is The Adventures of Pete & Pete. I’d argue that’s a petty fair trade. He also loved this crazy post-apocalyptic action musical comedy, and we had a great time once we finally found a copy.
Six-String Samurai should’ve been the beginning of something great for the director Lance Mungia and its star Jeffrey Falcon. It created a stir at the time of its release, but lost its momentum in theaters. Unlike Boondock Saints, it didn’t find its audience in the early days of DVD, which is pretty tragic.
I love the schlock Fallout reality, perhaps best realized…
They say you can kill 200 people and play a mean six string at the same time.
I do not like rock ‘n roll music! It is too loud! No more rock ‘n roll music in Vegas!
It’s been a minute since I played, but Six-String Samurai reminded me of a rockabilly Borderlands. A deluge of too-cool-for-school one-liners follow Buddy and the orphan he picked up on his way to Vegas (much like Zatoichi). The action choreography is surprisingly good for a low budget genre mashup, and the cinematography is incredibly striking - way above the pay grade. The Vinegar Syndrome UHD does the film justice, and the love is felt from the packaging to the extras. An incredible treat.
As far as low-budget 90's post-apocalyptic road movies about Buddy Holly befriending a child and then killing Slash go, this is pretty good. Very charming in the same way that watching a high school production of a musical is charming. I don't mean to be condescending, I've acted in way lower budget stuff than this. I just mean that at a certain production value level it becomes clear that nobody *had* to be there. This movie is well below that threshold, and it's all the stronger for it.
I'd never heard of this bizarro post apocalyptic, samurai, Desperado, amalgam of about a million different things in a blender with a kid's movie sensibility.
Honestly, I would have probably LOVED this if it leaned into the blood and sleazy side of things. As is, this is fun in the vein of something I would have loved as a kid if I found it on TV on a saturday afternoon while I was hopped up on sugar after the cartoons ended. Still, I found my mind wandering during certain sequences, though before I could actually get bored (or grab my phone to scroll) they'd jump to a new sequence. Still, I was never fully engaged.
Certainly one of a kind and the thing looks and sounds great in the new 4K from Vinegar Syndrome. Just not really my jam at the end of the day.
This is Mr. Lost Vegas here to report on some heartbreaking news, King Elvis has left the building. May the pie in the sky welcome him with burning love. If you're a musician with a jailhouse rock, come to Lost Vegas! Vegas needs a New King! As in true Blues mythology, Death stalks Buddy, a horn-rimmed guitar wielding martial artist, through the wasteland before he can reach Vegas to become the new king of Rock 'n Roll. In this people-eat-people world, caring for an annoying kid who lost his parents is the only glimmer of hope besides Vegas in the distance. For what it's worth as a low-budget cult movie that takes place primarily in the empty desert, is pretty…
In 1957, the Russians dropped nuclear bombs on America, reducing most of the country to a desolate post-apocalyptic wasteland. Four decades later, the final stronghold of the free world exists in the city of Lost Vegas, but its leader, Elvis Presley, has died, prompting many guitarists to travel to the city across scorched desert landscapes to become the new King of Rock 'n' Roll. Buddy, a lone swordsman played by Jeffrey Falcon, reluctantly takes a young boy, played by Justin McGuire, under his wing after saving the kid from bandits. Unfortunately for this duo, Death and his henchmen are following close behind.
Like many films from its era, the low-budget 1998 action comedy, Six-String Samurai, directed by Lance Mungia, exudes…
I get what this film is doing, and I respect it. I can see why there might be some sort of cult fan base out there for it. Maybe I would have been in that number if I saw it upon initial release. But, alas, this film did not do a whole lot for me.
The story is interesting enough--after a Russian nuclear attack in 1957, America has become a wasteland save for Las Vegas, where Elvis is king. Now that Elvis has died, people are descending upon "Lost Vegas" in order to claim the throne. We follow Buddy, a Buddy Holly stand in, as he slices and dices his way to the city, picking up an annoying kid along…
you’re telling me we were robbed of two more movies featuring jeffrey falcon as six-string samurai without the annoying ass kid?!
we truly are living in the worst timeline.
it’s the post apocalyptic kung-fu alternate history buddy holly biopic you never knew you wanted but can’t live without now.
it’s campy but still has quality craftsmanship and assloads of charm working to maximum effect here.
everyone (except for the kid) is putting genuine effort into this schlock, making the more glaring faults along the way (repetitiveness, that kid) far more forgivable.
actually no…
there is no excuse for how much this kid sucks.
For an ultra-cheap post-apoc, SIX STRING SAMURAI has a lot of personality. This isn’t a debut on par with George Miller’s MAD MAX, but provided you dig the influences blended together it’s a good time.
There’s really no telling whether this film will work for you unless you see it. Maybe you like samurai films, Shaw Brothers, and Italo-westerns? You still may not dig the rockabilly and surf-rock played over the film. Me? I happen to like all that stuff, so maybe I’m the small target audience — and I have a soft spot for outsider filmmakers who never got told what they couldn’t do with their meagre budget. Some people make mumblecore, Lance Mungia decided to attempt…everything!
That isn’t…
