Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

Six-String Samurai 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf May 28, 2021

“Six-String Samurai” emerges from the minds of co-writers Lance Mungia (who also directs) and Jeffrey Falcon (who also stars), with the pair trying to find their way into Hollywood via the creation of a cult-ready action fantasy that follows a Buddy Holly lookalike and his effort to protect a child from enemies in post-apocalyptic Nevada. The 1998 picture tries to be ultra-cool and super strange to attract a knowing audience, and there’s certainly a fanbase for the endeavor. “Six-String Samurai” is specialized entertainment, but it’s not an especially engaging feature, with the production turning to repetition and slow-motion to avoid becoming the inspired short film it was destined to be. There’s not a lot of story to snack on here, just plenty of style and rockabilly music, with a 90-minute run time presenting a noticeable challenge for Mungia, who’s just not able to pack this movie with enough incident.

40 years after the Russians dropped nukes on America in 1957, the country remains a wasteland, and one without a ruler, as King Elvis is now dead, leaving leadership in Lost Vegas up for grabs. Emerging to claim the title is Buddy (Jeffrey Falcon), a man with a guitar and sword who’s happy to take on all challengers. The Kid (Justin McGuire) is on his own in the wild, taking to Buddy as a father figure, helping him with his journey through the blazing Nevada desert. Also out to become royalty is Death, a black-faced killer of men who’s on his way to Lost Vegas to claim the crown, working to make sure Buddy doesn’t get their first.

Shot on weekends and scrapped together with a limited budget, “Six-String Samurai” is an achievement on certain levels. Cinematography by Kristian Bernier is incredible, creating a hellish landscape for Buddy and The Kid to cross, bringing out the imposing dangers of the desert. The movie looks beautiful and big at times, carrying the viewing experience as the production spends plenty of screen time on glory shots of the locations, taking in the expanse of the ruined world as the characters gradually make their way to paradise in Lost Vegas.

The rest of “Six-String Samurai” isn’t quite as compelling, with the episodic film often caught trying to cook up obstacles for Buddy and The Kid. Some are amusing, including a killer bowling team with knives hidden inside their bowling pins, and there’s a demented family who’s happy to take care of The Kid, with Buddy soon realizing the clan is eager to eat the new addition. These adventures are entertaining, and Mungia offers lots of room for Falcon to display his physical gifts and skills with a sword, mounting numerous scenes where Buddy takes on multiple enemies. However, this is pretty much all “Six-String Samurai” does, with action scenes similar and acting lackluster, with the aforementioned slow-mo doing a lot of heavy lifting for the film, working to stretch a simple idea suited for tight editing to a feature-length run time. Mungia’s enthusiasm and low-budget world-building doesn’t carry that far.

Six-String Samurai 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Screenshots are sourced from the Blu-ray disc.

The 4K presentation for "Six-String Samurai" (1.85:1 aspect ratio) is sourced from a 35mm original camera negative. Highlights are a big draw with this title, as most of the feature is set in the desert. Blazing sunlight doesn't encourage a blinding viewing experience, with daylight shots offering a pleasing brightness that identifies atmospheric intensity and cinematographic achievements. Heat is understood, and colors back up the sensation, offering golden sand and sun, with vivid blue skies. Alert hues are also found with the Red Elvises, with the band living up to their name while wearing crimson outfits and punk hair. Desertscapes are natural, along with skintones. Detail is exceptional, surveying wear and tear on the characters, with Buddy's scruffy look and cracked glasses exposed in full. Exteriors are fully dimensional and filled with desert textures, including gritty sand and jagged rocks. Costuming is fibrous. Grain is nicely resolved, with a heavy but film-like quality. Delineation is satisfactory. Source is in excellent condition.

Six-String Samurai 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix leads with scoring cues and soundtrack selections, which almost carry throughout the entire feature. Instrumentation is precise, with crisp percussion and guitars, vocals as well, and musical moods carry into the surrounds. Dialogue exchanges are distinct, with most of the picture working with ADR to emphasize performances. Atmospherics are lively, capturing blowing winds and room tone, and sound effects are pronounced, tracking the metallic clanging of swords and whooshing of arrows. Low-end isn't too active, but explosions are heavy, and bass is appreciable.

Six-String Samurai 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary #1 features co-writer/director Lance Mungia and cinematographer Kristian Bernier.

• Commentary #2 features co-writer/director Lance Mungia.

• "Vegas Needs a New King" is the official making-of for "Six-String Samurai," which is hosted by co-writer/director Lance Mungia and split into four parts.

• "Part 1: Death Walk" (20:23, HD) collects interviews with first assistant director David Riddick, former Panavision marketing executive Tracy Morse, and cinematographer Kristian Bernier. Mungia explores his years at Loyola Marymount University, embracing the collaborative aspects of the film department, making friends who would join him on the "Six-String Samurai" production adventure. Figuring things out for his short, "A Garden for Rio," Mungia fell in love with a western influence, soon finding his way to star Jeff Falcon (who, apparently, is difficult to find, missing from the featurettes), with the pair becoming a creative team for "Six-String Samurai." The creation of the distorted title sequence is analyzed, along with multiple actors hired to play Death, and Mungia recalls a decision to move from Loyola Marymount to Death Valley to finish the movie, which caused many problems.

• "Part 2: Who's Ricky?" (21:23, HD) covers Mungia's growing dreams for "Six-String Samurai," working until he was out of money, inspiring the creation of a reel to show to studios for possible interest. Producers Michael Burns and Leanna Creel join the discussion, exploring how a budget was created for the feature. More tales from Death Valley are shared, with park rangers watching the crew carefully, and Riddick provides a tale of personal sacrifice to keep Mungia's on track with his directorial debut. More discussion of Falcon's participation is offered, including the shaping of action sequences.

• "Part 3: The Sonic Connection" (17:35, HD) finds Mungia joined by members of The Red Elvises, recalling their initial meeting inside an L.A. bar. A history of the band is detailed, learning about influences, instruments, and styles. Composer Brian Tyler is included, with his scoring efforts analyzed, trying to work with the special Red Elvises sound. And the chapter closes with the story of the Slamdance Film Festival, with "Six-String Samurai" impressing audiences, eventually picked up by Palm Pictures.

• "Part 4: Lessons from the Yellow Brick Road" (16:27) delve into release woes for "Six-String Samurai," which went too wide, too fast, destroyed by major studio competition. However, tremendous pride in the work remains, with the interviewees sharing their appreciation for the movie. A remembrance piece for editor James Frisa is included, and more questions about Falcon's current situation are posed, with the actor leaving the industry after "Six-String Samurai." Current careers are detailed, with Mungia sharing his work in documentaries and home studio productions, noticeably leaving out his time making "The Crow: Wicked Prayer." Now there's a production experience people would want to hear about.

• "A Garden for Rio" (15:08, HD) is a 1996 short film directed by Lance Mungia.

• Still Gallery (6:55) collects BTS snaps from the making of the film.

• A Theatrical Trailer has not been included on this release.

Six-String Samurai 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Six-String Samurai" offers oddity with its "Wizard of Oz" touches and distorted main titles (a style choice that isn't explained), and there's the musical sense of it all, with rockabilly all over the endeavor, which is either a curse or a gift, depending on the viewer. Mungia is trying to do a lot with very little here, and he gets somewhere when taking in the beautiful land and its inherent threats, making for a compelling movie about an unusual journey. What the material actually offers is little in the way of variation and excitement, with initial invention transforming into a tough sit as Mungia and Falcon recycle ideas and action beats, trusting idiosyncrasy (and, again, slow-mo) will cover the feature's frustrating shortcomings.