Six String Samurai is a film beyond explanation.The sound track is top quality. Surf-rock music that I believe was largely
made to order for this film by a group called the Red Elvises. The lead actor, Jeffrey Falcon, is incredible. Internet research
tells me he was trained in Wushu, a Chinese martial art, and that he starred in numerous Kung Fu movies.
So it should be an action packed post apocalyptic extravaganza, right? Wrong. You have to consider the elements that balance
it out. The characters are largely strereotypes and little more, which is part of the film's charm. Falcon and his orphan
side-kick known only as "the kid" actually make stereotypes into characters by playing them so well.
However, one thing the film cannot get past, is that its budget was less than my yearly income, which is pretty small I
tell ya, pretty small. The plot is also that of a B movie. Consider this: The Russians have taken over America and Elvis rules
over the last bastion of frreedom. However, Elvis has died, and in the year 1997 various rock and rollers travel across the
dunes to try to compete to take his place as the king of Lost Vegas.
I first saw SSS back in the late nineties when it had first come out. I knew little about it and so I decided that this
was my own personal movie. A secret noone else outside of me and a few of my friends knew of. We figured we'd take it to our
graves in a world that couldn't understand the genious behind this. Man were we wrong! Researching it I've discovered that
this is really a cult hit and I'm glad Falcon and Mungia (the producers) are getting the recognition they deserve.
The film opens as the kid's family is killed in a field of some sort of tall grass or rushes or cat tails or something.
This is very reminiscent of a samurai movie but the hero surely isnt. He enters, cutting down the bad guys with a katana and
also wielding a guitar. His garb is a dusty suit and a pair of horn rim glasses that have been broken and taped together.
Regardless he is one of the coolest heroes of all time.
Buddy decides to take on the kid in the traditional grudging manner. "I got a gig in Vegas and the wasteland aint no place
for kids" He says. Together they go through several bits of trouble, meeting bowling team assassins, mutated families, and
men with water coolers duct taped to their backs pretending they're space suits. It becomes apparent throughout all of these
events that Buddy is COOL. I cannot describe him or this movie in any more succinct terms than cool. He sticks the kid in
the trunk of a car at one point and later gets dragged through a desert by said kid, but he's still cool!
Of course there are problems even in an otherwise perfect film. The spinnach monster that "will make the kid eat spinnach
forever" is very unconvincing but the cinematography covers up the fact that it's pretty much just some sticks and fabric
and an eye. Buddy's guitar gets shot, used as a sled and as a pillow and dragged along the ground and yet its always in tune.
There's also the matter of the next scene.
Buddy finally makes his way near to Vegas and has to deal with the WHOLE DOD GAMN RUSSIAN ARMY. Because the filming crew
couldnt afford guns that fire the Russian army is out of bullets. This, however, does not stop them from randomly exploding.
All in all Buddy kills maybe 200 people.
Then he goes on to fight death in the climactic battle. Boromir would wince at the stuff that goes on in this battle and
in the end Vegas does indeed get a new king. I won't ruin it though, so go see it for yourselves. All in all this film can
best be summarized as simply being cool.
And as an added bonus here are some samples of the dialogue. Note that despite how horrible it sounds they make it work.
This movie is all about style.
Buddy: "Who are you?"
Death: "Death"
Buddy: "Cool."
Head Pin Pal: "Nice tuxedo. Nice tuxedo to die in!"
