DVD Review: Six String Samurai
Jun. 7th, 2005 01:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jeriendhalSummary: In an alternate universe America, 40 years after the Russians dropped the bomb on the USA in '57, the last outpost of rock & roll and Freedom is Las Vegas, ruled by Elvis Presley. Now The King is dead, and a katana swingin', guitar slinging, myopic rocker/samurai named Buddy fights his way across the blasted desert, dodging Windmill People and Death himself, in a quest to be the new King.
Okay, let's face it, Six String Samurai is in no way, shape, or form a good movie, but it is an enjoyable movie, if your tastes run towards b-movies, Hong Kong Action Flicks, or Rock & Roll. The film stars b-list HK action star Jeffrey Falcone, running around Death Valley wearing cracked Buddy Holly hornrims and a beat up tuxedo suit, and carrying a guitar with a katana sheath duct taped onto the back. And like any goo-- er, enjoyable HK flick, it wisely ditches any worries about plot and characterization, and goes for full bore chop-socky action, with a leavening of goofy humor, and a touch of melodrama. Let's face it, any movie that has Buddy rescuing his child companion from the clutches of a cannablistic "Cleaver" family, and then a group of Windmill People dressed in NASA spacesuits is at least going to catch your attention. Add in a peppy Russian Rock soundtrack by the Red Elvises, and you've got a good way to blow 90 minutes.
That said, the negatives of Six-String are legion. Falcone can't act worth a damn, but fortunately he's a rather closed-mouth fellow. The Kid is worse, as his main method of communication is screaming, but given he's stuck with Buddy as a protector, and just recently saw his mother killed in front of him, can you blame him? The budget appears to have mostly paid for the film stock, though in fairness the cinematography is quite lovely (it's hard to go wrong with Death Valley as a backdrop). My main beef, however, is with the fight scenes. There are an awful lot of them, which helps to keep the pace up, but they're shot in such tight focus the audience can barely see what's happening. I'm guessing it was done to hide the poor fight training everyone but Falcone was displaying but it's still frustrating.
But hey, any film that has Death (looking suspiciously like Slash from Guns & Roses) uttering lines like "You have failed me for the last... Nice shoes!" is at least worth looking at.
Okay, let's face it, Six String Samurai is in no way, shape, or form a good movie, but it is an enjoyable movie, if your tastes run towards b-movies, Hong Kong Action Flicks, or Rock & Roll. The film stars b-list HK action star Jeffrey Falcone, running around Death Valley wearing cracked Buddy Holly hornrims and a beat up tuxedo suit, and carrying a guitar with a katana sheath duct taped onto the back. And like any goo-- er, enjoyable HK flick, it wisely ditches any worries about plot and characterization, and goes for full bore chop-socky action, with a leavening of goofy humor, and a touch of melodrama. Let's face it, any movie that has Buddy rescuing his child companion from the clutches of a cannablistic "Cleaver" family, and then a group of Windmill People dressed in NASA spacesuits is at least going to catch your attention. Add in a peppy Russian Rock soundtrack by the Red Elvises, and you've got a good way to blow 90 minutes.
That said, the negatives of Six-String are legion. Falcone can't act worth a damn, but fortunately he's a rather closed-mouth fellow. The Kid is worse, as his main method of communication is screaming, but given he's stuck with Buddy as a protector, and just recently saw his mother killed in front of him, can you blame him? The budget appears to have mostly paid for the film stock, though in fairness the cinematography is quite lovely (it's hard to go wrong with Death Valley as a backdrop). My main beef, however, is with the fight scenes. There are an awful lot of them, which helps to keep the pace up, but they're shot in such tight focus the audience can barely see what's happening. I'm guessing it was done to hide the poor fight training everyone but Falcone was displaying but it's still frustrating.
But hey, any film that has Death (looking suspiciously like Slash from Guns & Roses) uttering lines like "You have failed me for the last... Nice shoes!" is at least worth looking at.
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Date: 2005-06-08 04:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-06-08 05:49 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-06-08 07:49 pm (UTC)