Six-String Samurai
Encyclopedia
Six-String Samurai is a 1998 post-apocalyptic
Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction
Apocalyptic fiction is a sub-genre of science fiction that is concerned with the end of civilization due to a potentially existential catastrophe such as nuclear warfare, pandemic, extraterrestrial attack, impact event, cybernetic revolt, technological singularity, dysgenics, supernatural...

 action
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...

/comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...

 film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...

 directed by Lance Mungia
Lance Mungia
Lance Mungia is an American screenwriter and film director, of the film Six String Samurai; and co-writer/director of The Crow: Wicked Prayer for Dimension Films....

. Brian Tyler
Brian Tyler (composer)
Brian Tyler is an American composer, producer, conductor, and film producer most known for his scores of Eagle Eye, The Expendables, Battle: Los Angeles, The Final Destination, Rambo, Fast & Furious, Fast Five, and Final Destination 5. Tyler is a symphonic conductor and conducts his own scores....

 composed the score for this film along with the Red Elvises
Red Elvises
The Red Elvises are a Russian-American band that performs rock & roll, surf, rockabilly, reggae, lounge and traditional Russian styles of music...

, the latter providing the majority of the soundtrack.

Six-String Samurai was greeted with a great deal of excitement when shown at Slamdance
Slamdance Film Festival
As a year-round organization, Slamdance serves as a showcase for the discovery of new and emerging talent in the film industry; it is also the only major film festival fully programmed by filmmakers. Slamdance counts among its alumni many notable writers and directors who first gained notice at the...

 in 1998, winning the Slamdance awards for best editing
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...

 and cinematography
Cinematography
Cinematography is the making of lighting and camera choices when recording photographic images for cinema. It is closely related to the art of still photography...

, and gathering extremely favorable reviews from influential alternative, cult
Cult film
A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but specific group of fans. Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside the small fanbases; however, there have been exceptions that have managed to gain fame among mainstream audiences...

 and indie film
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...

 publications such as Fangoria
Fangoria (magazine)
Fangoria is an internationally-distributed US film fan magazine specializing in the genres of horror, slasher, splatter and exploitation films, in regular publication since 1979.-Planning:...

, Film Threat
Film Threat
Film Threat is a former print magazine and, now, webzine which focuses primarily on independent film, although it also reviews DVDs of mainstream films and Hollywood movies in theaters. It first appeared as a photocopied zine in 1985, created by Wayne State University students Chris Gore and André...

and Ain't It Cool News
Ain't It Cool News
Ain't It Cool News is a website founded and run by Harry Knowles, dedicated to news, rumors and reviews of upcoming and currently playing films and television projects, with an emphasis on science fiction, fantasy, horror, comic-book and action genres...

. It is billed as a "post-apocalyptic musical
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...

 satire
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...

".

In a limited theatrical release the film ran for several months in a few theaters, gaining a reputation as a minor cult film
Cult film
A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but specific group of fans. Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside the small fanbases; however, there have been exceptions that have managed to gain fame among mainstream audiences...

; having a budget of $2,000,000, it only made a mere $124,494 at the box offices. An intended trilogy has been discussed but not yet realized, just like the predicted launching of the career of the film's star, Jeffrey Falcon
Jeffrey Falcon
Jeffrey Falcon is an American actor appearing in martial arts films. His most notable starring role was in the film Six-String Samurai.-Filmography:*Operation Pink Squad *The Inspector Wears Skirts...

, a martial artist
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....

 who had appeared in several Hong Kong action movies
Hong Kong action cinema
Hong Kong action cinema is the principal source of the Hong Kong film industry's global fame. It combines elements from the action film, as codified by Hollywood, with Chinese storytelling and aesthetic traditions, to create a culturally distinctive form that nevertheless has a wide transcultural...

 in the 80s and early 90s. While Mungia made several music videos, he did not direct another feature until the 2005 film
2005 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2005...

 The Crow: Wicked Prayer
The Crow: Wicked Prayer
The Crow: Wicked Prayer is a 2005 American film directed by Lance Mungia and inspired by Norman Partridge's novel of the same title. It is the fourth and final film based on The Crow comic book by James O'Barr. It had a one week theatrical premiere on June 3, 2005 at AMC Pacific Place Theatre in...

.

Plot

Six-String Samurai is set in an alternate history
Alternate history (fiction)
Alternate history or alternative history is a genre of fiction consisting of stories that are set in worlds in which history has diverged from the actual history of the world. It can be variously seen as a sub-genre of literary fiction, science fiction, and historical fiction; different alternate...

 America, in which Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

 attacked the U.S. with nuclear weapons in 1957, making most of the country an inhospitable desert. The government has entirely collapsed, except for the Kingdom of Elvis
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....

, who rules from "Lost Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...

" to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

. The Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...

 has been besieging Vegas, but the lack of supplies ("We haven't had bullets since 1957," comments a Russian general) from the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

 has caused them to degenerate into just another gang. As the movie begins, Elvis has died and a radio disc jockey Keith Mortimer announces a call for all musicians to come to Lost Vegas to try to become the new King of Rock'n'Roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...

.

Buddy, implied to be the rock 'n roll legend Buddy Holly
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley , known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll...

 (Due to his physical similarities and musical ability), is one of the musicians converging on Lost Vegas. Early on, he finds himself having to take care of a kid named "Kid" (Justin McGuire). While Buddy resents having to look after the Kid, the Kid turns out to be a good ally.

Buddy runs into a lot of different groups, including a zombie-like, cannibalistic suburban family, 'windmill people' who are dressed like astronauts and filthy tribals that make up most of the population. He also combats many foes, including a samurai, a bowling team of bounty-hunters, a Russian surf band (played by the Red Elvises
Red Elvises
The Red Elvises are a Russian-American band that performs rock & roll, surf, rockabilly, reggae, lounge and traditional Russian styles of music...

), and the Russian army. Throughout his journey, Buddy is stalked by his greatest foe: a sinister Slash
Slash (musician)
Saul Hudson , known by his stage name Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During his later years with Guns N'...

 look-alike who is the personification of the Grim Reaper
Death (personification)
The concept of death as a sentient entity has existed in many societies since the beginning of history. In English, Death is often given the name Grim Reaper and, from the 15th century onwards, came to be shown as a skeletal figure carrying a large scythe and clothed in a black cloak with a hood...

, and his grungy group of guitarists/archers
Archery
Archery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...

; Death's goal is to eliminate all the King-wannabes and the conquest of Vegas.

Opening sequence distortion

The opening sequence has an intentionally distorted visual effect. The de-anamorphic visuals are a subtle "tribute" to the Chinese martial arts films (notably the films by Shaw Brothers) that often had their wide-screen opening sequences compressed to the 1.33:1 format of TV screens for VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....

 release.

Thematic elements

Throughout the film there are homages to many major musical movements in the United States. Buddy, the main character, is a symbol of the birth of rock 'n' roll. He shares the same clothing style of Buddy Holly, especially his horn-rimmed glasses
Horn-rimmed glasses
Horn-rimmed glasses are a type of eyeglasses. Originally made out of either horn or tortoise shell, for most of their history they have actually been constructed out of thick plastics designed to imitate those materials...

.

During the film "Death", who resembles Slash
Slash (musician)
Saul Hudson , known by his stage name Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During his later years with Guns N'...

 from Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...

, kills a character representing Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer-songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis's career faltered after he married his young cousin, and he afterwards made a career extension to country and western music. He is known by the nickname 'The...

. Death also dispatches a mariachi
Mariachi
Mariachi is a genre of music that originated in the State of Jalisco, in Mexico. It is an integration of stringed instruments highly influenced by the cultural impacts of the historical development of Western Mexico. Throughout the history of mariachi, musicians have experimented with brass, wind,...

 band and another musician dressed country western style. His minions also torment a traveller dressed in hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...

 fashion. Buddy also has a duel with a musician (wielding a ukulele) resembling Richie Valens, who died in the same 1959 plane crash as the original Buddy Holly. Death also kills rock music, through the death of Buddy.

However, the last scene shows the child donning Buddy's clothing. Suggesting that though rock‘n roll is dead, there is still hope for the future.

The film also has references to the Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)
The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs...

, loosely imitating the 1939 movie. A little person instructs Buddy to "follow the yellow brick road
Yellow brick road
The road of yellow brick is an element in the novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, with additional such roads appearing in The Marvelous Land of Oz and The Patchwork Girl of Oz...

". Lost Vegas, seen from the distance, looks like the Emerald City. Death is obsessed with a specific object, Buddy's guitar pick, much like the Wicked Witch trying to get Dorothy's red slippers. Finally, Death is killed when sprayed with water, as was the Wicked Witch. When Buddy dies, his body disappears, leaving only his clothes for the kid to take, again like the Wicked Witch.

Six String Samurai comic

In September, 1998, a single Six String Samurai comic was released from Rob Liefeld
Rob Liefeld
Rob Liefeld is an American comic book writer, illustrator, and publisher. A prominent artist in the 1990s, he has since become a controversial figure in the medium....

's Awesome Entertainment. Written by Matt Hawkins
Matt Hawkins
Matthew Hawkins is a South African born American rugby union player. Matt plays flank for the Old Mission Beach Athletic Club. He was selected to tour with the USA national rugby union team, the USA Eagles XV, for the Autumn 2010 tour of Europe. Matt earned his first cap playing for the Eagles...

 and Rob Liefeld
Rob Liefeld
Rob Liefeld is an American comic book writer, illustrator, and publisher. A prominent artist in the 1990s, he has since become a controversial figure in the medium....

, it featured art by 'Awesome' artists Dan Fraga
Dan Fraga
Dan Fraga is an American comic book writer and artist.Dan has worked on many of comics other top books including Spider-Man, Wolverine, Superman Bloodstrike and the X-Men franchise.-Biography:...

 and John Stinsman. A continuation rather than an adaptation, the plot summary from the comic is as follows:
"In this alternate universe, in 1957 the Russians took the United States by nuclear force. Only one piece of the American frontier remained free, a patch of land known as Lost Vegas. Through this desert wasteland wanders the “six string samurai,” a latter-day Buddy Holly who handles a guitar or a sword with equal skill. He’s a man on a collision course with destiny: It seems that King Elvis, who ruled over the land of Vegas for forty years, has finally taken his last curtain call and the throne now stands empty. But it’s a rough road to the big city and the body count is likely to be high, as demonstrated in this postapocalyptic future with a beat we can dance to."

Cultural references

  • In the RPG
    Role-playing video game
    Role-playing video games are a video game genre with origins in pen-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, using much of the same terminology, settings and game mechanics. The player in RPGs controls one character, or several adventuring party members, fulfilling one or many quests...

     Fallout: New Vegas
    Fallout: New Vegas
    Fallout: New Vegas is a first person action role-playing video game in the Fallout series developed by Obsidian Entertainment, and published by Bethesda Softworks. The game is based in a post-apocalyptic environment in and around Las Vegas, Nevada...

    , an achievement
    Achievement (video gaming)
    In video gaming parlance, an achievement, also sometimes known as a trophy or challenge, is a meta-goal defined outside of a game's parameters...

     called "New Vegas Samurai" is available with an image based on Six String Samurai's movie poster.
  • The movie itself mentions a town called "Fallout", which is located 200 miles from Vegas.

Soundtrack

Six-String Samurai: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the original soundtrack to the film; the soundtrack was released by Rykodisc
Rykodisc
Rykodisc Records is an American record label. It is owned by Warner Music Group, operates as a unit of WMG's Independent Label Group and is distributed through Alternative Distribution Alliance.-Company history:...

on August 25, 1998.
  1. United States of Russia (Red Elvises)
  2. Neverland*
  3. Love Pipe (Red Elvises)
  4. A Mother's Hand/Buddy*
  5. Fly Away Little Butterfly*
  6. Kill 200 Men (Dialogue)
  7. Boogie on the Beach (Red Elvises)
  8. I Do Not Like Rock & Roll (Dialogue)
  9. Hungarian Dance #5 (Red Elvises)
  10. Arrowed Kid/Bowlers on the Floor (Dialogue)
  11. Rock & Rolling Ourselves to Death (Dialogue)/Jerry's Got the Squeeze Box (Red Elvises)
  12. Lonely Highway of Love (Dialogue)/Scorchi Chornie (Red Elvises)
  13. My Darling Lorraine (Red Elvises)
  14. Astro*
  15. Follow the Yellow Brick Road(Dialogue)/Leech (Red Elvises)
  16. See You Around Kid (Dialogue)/Siberia (Red Elvises)
  17. Good Golly Miss Molly (Red Elvises)
  18. My Love Is Killing Me (Red Elvises)
  19. Sacred Funeral*
  20. Relentless Sun*
  21. Over the Hill*
  22. Bring His Guitar to Me(Dialogue)/Sahara Burn*
  23. A Boy and His Spirit*
  24. If You Were Me, You'd Be Good-Looking (Dialogue)/Surfing in Siberia (Red Elvises)
  25. Draggin a Fallen Hero*
  26. Nice Tuxedo (Dialogue)/Showdown at Not Okay Corral*
  27. Bend Before the Ways of Heavy Metal (Dialogue)/Dueling Guitars*
  28. Dream March*
  29. The Great Battle*
  30. End of a Hero/Finale*
  31. On My Way to Vegas*


(*) indicates original score by Brian Tyler
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