AllMovie

A mishmash of influences including the Mad Max (1979) trilogy, Elvis Presley musicals, martial arts "chop socky" movies, and Japanese animé are blended together to create this interesting but deeply flawed action flick. Writer/director Lance Mungia certainly gets his Pacific Rim pop cultural references right but he forgets to give his film any of the necessary character development to make viewers give a hoot about the swell desert set pieces and clashes he's presenting. Then again, this is a mistake that a majority of science fiction genre filmmakers make repeatedly, crafting two-dimensional protagonists who are essentially iconic ciphers that never quite come alive. On a limited budget, Mungia's is an audacious debut in terms of his ability to render a convincing post-apocalyptic vibe on screen without much more than desert locales and inventive costumes to back him up. On the other hand, his script lacks the sort of emotional truth, narrative discovery, and character-driven growth to sustain viewer interest. Six-String Samurai (1998) is one of those films that starts off strong but leaves you checking your watch in hour two. That said, its creator is a talent to watch.