Six-String Samurai
A guitar-slinging samurai and the child he rescues cross a ruined America in a flamboyant race toward rock-and-roll salvation.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- irreverent
- kinetic
- cartoonish
- cult movie night
- late night viewing
What critics said
Critics found the film highly original and visually energetic, but divided over its repetitive, cartoonish, and derivative execution.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Buddy travels through a devastated future wielding a guitar and katana while pursuing Lost Vegas, the rock 'n' roll capital.
The story combines samurai combat, spaghetti western movement, road movie structure, musical performance, and post-apocalyptic science fiction.
Buddy is defined as equally formidable with his guitar and samurai sword, and the journey is directed toward a rock-centered destination.
Buddy and the Kid cross a ruined desert world filled with enemies, duels, and exaggerated action set pieces.
Films like Six-String Samurai, and why
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior
post-apocalyptic road movie with stylized martial arts, irreverent humor, and eccentric genre blending
The Good, the Bad and the Weird
kinetic swordplay, comic-book spectacle, and heightened postmodern action aesthetics
Repo! The Genetic Opera
cult science fiction comedy combining musical performance, dystopian adventure, and playful visual excess
Sukiyaki Western Django
stylized samurai action, rock-inflected attitude, and deliberately cartoonish genre mashup
Movie Details
- Director
- Lance Mungia
- Release Date
- 1998-09-18
- Runtime
- 91 min
- Rating
- 6.2 / 10 (157)
Cast
- Jeffrey Falcon
- Justin McGuire
- Kim De Angelo
- Clifford Hugo
- Oleg Bernov
- Igor Yuzov
- Zhenya Kolykhanov
- Avi Sills
- George L. Casillas
- Monti Ellison
Common questions
- What is Six-String Samurai about?
- A guitar-slinging samurai and the child he rescues cross a ruined America in a flamboyant race toward rock-and-roll salvation.
- What is Six-String Samurai like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Six-String Samurai as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Six-String Samurai violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Six-String Samurai as moderate.
- What did critics think of Six-String Samurai?
- Critics found the film highly original and visually energetic, but divided over its repetitive, cartoonish, and derivative execution.
- Which films are like Six-String Samurai?
- Films with a similar feel include Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, The Good, the Bad and the Weird, Repo! The Genetic Opera, and Sukiyaki Western Django.
- How long is Six-String Samurai?
- Six-String Samurai runs 91 minutes.
