Six-String Samurai is one of those cult films that people seem to love or hate with a passion. But whatever their opinion of the movie, most viewers can at least agree that it was a unique experience. Blending kung fu, comedy, and rockabilly, Six-String Samurai is certainly a one-of-a-kind take on the martial arts genre. If you're willing to take a chance and check out something that can't easily be categorized, this film might just reward you with a solid ninety minutes of fun.

Taking place in an alternate future where Russian bombed America with nuclear weapons in 1957, the story centers on Buddy (Jeff Falcon), a musician and warrior headed to the city of Lost Vegas, where the death of Elvis has left a void for the leader of the last group of American survivors. Along the way, Buddy meets up with a motley cast of characters, including a child (Justin McGuire) who he takes under his wing and Death (Stephane Gauger) himself, who is looking to take over Vegas on his own.

If the name of Jeff Falcon seems familiar, it's because he appeared in about fifteen Hong Kong productions in the late 1980's through the early 1990's, mostly playing heavies in "girls with guns" films such as The Blonde Fury and She Shoots Straight. Falcon took the money he made from these films to produce this movie, while also developing the script. Released during the indie movie boom of the late 1990's, Six-String Samurai initially came out to a lot of praise, including winning awards at the Slamdance film festival, but failed to make any sort of dent at the box office, leaving the movie's legacy to wallow at the bottom of DVD bargain bin obscurity.

And that's a shame, at least to this reviewer, because Six-String Samurai is a really good movie. Are there some problems? Sure. Like most kid actors, Justin McGuire is not very polished and comes off as annoying at times. And director Lance Mungia tries a little too hard with the editing and cinematography, making the movie too overtly kinetic at times. But, overall, like I said before, this is a very unique take on your usual kung fu movie, and it manages to deliver some decent action and funny comedy along the way.

RATING: 7