Six-String Samurai . Austin Chronicle . 03-23-98

Six-String Samurai

DIRECTED BY: Lance Mungia

REVIEWED: 03-23-98

What do you get when you mix Akira Kurosawa with Elvis Presley, Tsui Hark with George Miller, and John Woo with the Three Stooges? Probably something like Mungia's feature debut, which also happens to be as pure an expression of the visual cinematic dynamic as I've seen in years. Set in a post-apocalyptic America (nuked by the Ruskies in 1957) where Elvis is King and Vegas is the capital, wandering ronin Buddy (as in Holly) travels the wasteland with his Bushido blade and hollowbody six-string guitar, seeking his destiny. Along the way, he hooks up with an orphaned little boy (think Lone Wolf and Cub) and fends off gangs of mutants, killers, and Death himself, who's very much into heavy metal. Hyper-adrenalized eye candy for the soul, Mungia's world is an all-encompassing vision, so original it hurts, and yet with so many goofy reference points that half the fun is playing "spot that homage." Cinematographer Kristian Bernier (also debuting) creates absolute magic on a predictably low budget; the film is crammed to bursting with jaw-droppingly spectacular shots that are as wacky as they are inspired. Wholly unique from start to finish, Six-String Samurai is a festival-goer's dream: You laugh, you cry, you stand up at the end and holler like crazy. More please.

--Marc Savlov

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Six-String Samurai

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Six-String Samurai

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Six String Samurai

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