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.

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.

...if you like rock-a-billie and love a campy adventure in a post-apocalyptic world were Elvis, the KING, has just died and there's a guitar-strumming race across the desert to Las Vegas to see who will be the next King crowned - you'll love this bizarre piece of comic book fiction brought to life. Our hero & his sidekick are chased across the desert by Death(a cross between Tom Petty & Slash) and his archer henchmen. Our Hero slashes his way through one unbelievable fight scene after another. Falcon is truly amazing. The fight choreography alone is reason enough to watch this peculiar piece of cinema. The climax is a duel between our Hero(Rock-n-Roll) and Death(Heavy Metal). Who becomes the King? Watch it & love it.

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 have read a lot of comments regarding this film. All I have to say is, this movie is great. I never heard of it, but saw it in West Coast Video, and thought the cover was way cool. I was not disappointed. It seems that those who do not like this film consider Steven Segal a master of martial art films.

This is not a mainstream movie. How can you accurately describe this? You just can't! I just tell people that if the like post apocalyptic/samurai/rock & roll movies, this is the one to see. From the moment that first sword fight broke out, I knew that I was going to enjoy this flick. And when the prostitute approaches him in the cantina, I laughed until it hurt.

Bottom line, if you like movies that are a little (or possibly a lot) off-beat, you have to watch this one. I give it 8.5 out of 10 stars.