In 1957, the bomb dropped, and the Russians took over what was America. The last bastion of freedom became a place called Lost Vegas and Elvis was crowned King. After forty rockin’ years, the King is dead.
The opening crawl for Six String Samurai sets the stage with everything you need to know. The Cold War didn’t stay cold, rock musicians remain as the only hope for freedom, and with the passing of Elvis, the free world needs a new king. Enter: Buddy. Not explicitly referred to as Buddy Holly, but with all the necessary details to fit the persona… Buddy roams the American wasteland with his 1957 hollow body six string guitar, and a samurai sword. He’s on a one-man mission to reach Lost Vegas to become its new king. But the road is long and full of hostile strangers. Along the way, Buddy encounters a young boy. The sole survivor of an attack that claims the life of his mother, the child chooses to follow Buddy on his journey, against the musician’s will. The scenario paves the way for a unique take on the “Long Wolf and Cub” story.
Buddy isn’t the only rock n’ roller on his way to Lost Vegas. Others are making the same trek, but often fall victim to Death himself. A Slash look alike in design, Death carves down any musician he finds working their way toward the crown. Heavy Metal is the name of his game, and he’ll do anything he and his henchmen can in order to make sure it’s the only music on the air. When Buddy crosses his path, Death decides to follow. In the final act, the two clash with a beautiful guitar-off that creates a musical moment I’ve been looking for in a band for many years. Sadly, nothing quite scratches the itch like listening to Six String Samurai’s surfer rock clashing against a metal solo. Fortunately, the rest of the film’s music is provided by the Red Elvises, who’s music has been readily available in my CD library ever since discovering them in this film. The band also appears in the movie as themselves.
Fans of the long running Fallout video game franchise will feel perfectly at home while watching Buddy’s adventure through the wasteland. The surreal cast of characters all feel like the kind you’d encounter in Fallout: New Vegas. Ranging from a trio of hooligan bowlers called “The Pin Pals”, to a nuclear family turned cannibals, the enemies are as ludicrous as the overarching story itself. Buddy and his orphan companion come face-to-face with conflicting musicians, a Russian battalion, and what appears to be an underground robot referring to itself as “The Spinach Monster”. None of it is predictable in any fashion, and the story refuses to let up. Everything about Six String Samurai and its colorful cast of characters places it squarely in Cult Classic territory, but often gets overlooked by people who are seeking something fresh.
Every fight feels like a personal endeavor thanks to Jeffrey Falcon’s history as a martial artist. As the writer and star of Six String Samurai, it’s safe to say the film was a passion project and an amalgamation of Falcon’s personal interests. Music and martial arts come together beautifully as the story progresses, leading into the aforementioned guitar-off that got me personally interested in the rockabilly music scene. Falcon’s film career was a ten year run, with his previous work being in Chinese cinema. Falcon’s Six String Samurai was projected to be a trilogy, but never got the opportunity. Despite being praised at film festivals, it was only released to a handful of theaters. Buddy’s adventure, and Falcon’s run at cinema, both came to an unfortunate end to no fault of the film itself. Sadly, Six String Samurai just didn’t have the widespread attention it needed to take off.
Anyone looking to watch Six String Samurai has several options. Palm Pictures was responsible for the initial DVD release, and has a rip of the film available to watch for free on YouTube at the time of writing this article. However, die hard fans of the movie should track down the 4K release by Vinegar Syndrome. The movie looks fantastic on modern televisions and has proven time and time again to entertain during movie nights. I haven’t introduced a single person to this movie who wound up disliking it. The bonkers premise, martial arts combat, comedic approach, and cavalcade of undeniably unique characters keep me coming back to this film. I simply can’t recommend it enough to anyone who’s looking for something familiar, yet totally new.
While Jeffrey Falcon may have returned to China, where he married and pursued a new career path, Buddy got another outing in the form of a single comic book issue that any fan should consider tracking down if they find themselves wanting a bit more Six String Samurai in their life. Which they will. While it may feel a little on-the-nose, it ain’t wrong to say that this film rocks. Check it out any way you can.