Six-String Samurai

"Vegas Needs a New King."

1998 1h 31m EN

😐

6.2

MID

★6.2TMDB · 158

AdventureScience FictionComedyActionDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In a post-apocalyptic world where the Russians have taken over a nuked USA and Elvis is king of Lost Vegas, Buddy is a '50s rocker and wandering warrior rolled into one, too-cool package. Armed with his six-string in one hand and his sword in the other, Buddy is on his way to Vegas to succeed Elvis as King. Along the way, he saves an orphan who decides to tag along.

“Vegas Needs a New King.”

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Cast

Jeffrey Falcon
Buddy
Justin McGuire
The Kid
Kim De Angelo
Mother
Clifford Hugo
Psycho
Oleg Bernov
Red Elvis
Igor Yuzov
Red Elvis
Zhenya Kolykhanov
Red Elvis
Avi Sills
Red Elvis

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Lance Mungia
Writers: Jeffrey Falcon, Lance Mungia
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $2.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 6% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

28 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Lance Mungia, shot by Kristian Bernier. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Brian Tyler. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor James Frisa shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Jeffrey Falcon and Justin McGuire and Kim De Angelo carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Vegas Needs a New King.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Lance Mungia directs. Kristian Bernier behind the camera. Brian Tyler scores. James Frisa cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $2.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Earned back only 6% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
328 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4Directed by Lance Mungia, shot by Kristian Bernier. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Brian Tyler. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor James Frisa shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Jeffrey Falcon and Justin McGuire and Kim De Angelo carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Vegas Needs a New King.".
9IMDB entry: tt0118736 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Kristian Bernier
Original score: Brian Tyler
Editing: James Frisa
Production design: Jeffrey Falcon
Costume design: Jeffrey Falcon
Runtime: 91 min · 1h 31m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $2,000,000
Box office: $124,494
Return: 6% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Six-String Samurai (1998)

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Lance Mungia

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What people are saying

deepkino2025-09-16
★ 8/10
This is one of my all-time favorite B-movies, boasting a uniquely substantial atmosphere and absolutely legendary dialogue. A postmodern genre-blender mixing indie fantasy, western, post-apocalyptic sci-fi, spaghetti western, and road trip tropes into a wildly rewatchable cocktail. I've seen it three times and it never gets old.

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