Customer Reviews

Buffalo 66 [VHS]

5 star:		(116)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Vincent Gallo's directorial debut is a powerhouse of fine acting, writing, and direction, not to mention a showcase for some hilariously inventive cinematography. Buffalo 66 is one of the finest independent films that I have ever seen, and perhaps the most fascinating character study I have yet to see on film.

Christina Ricci provides a quietly poignant performance as Layla, the odd but tenderhearted tap dancer who provides Gallo's Billy Brown with the only true love he has ever received. Ricci is brilliantly understated, and she relays just as much heartfelt meaning in one glance of her beautiful, dark eyes as Gallo does in his barrage of rapid-fire monologues.

There are also fine supporting performances from Ben Gazzara and Anjelica Huston, as Billy's utterly dysfunctional parents, Mickey Rourke, as a sleazy bookie, Jan-Michael Vincent, as Billy's touchingly loyal crony and owner of a bowling alley, and Kevin Corrigan, as Billy's slow but well-meaning best friend.

Buffalo 66 is an incredibly moving and beautiful film. It provides some of the starkest movie images of blue-collar society to come along since the '70s. The on-location Buffalo, New York sites are haunting in their bleakness, and the filtered photography emphasizes this all the more.

On top of all of this, Gallo provides a mesmerizing performance as Billy Brown--a man who has spent so much of his life pining for love and tenderness that he doesn't know how to deal with it once it is staring him in the face.

Vincent Gallo's directorial debut is a powerhouse of fine acting, writing, and direction, not to mention a showcase for some truly jaw-dropping cinematography. Buffalo 66 is one of the finest independent films that I have ever seen, and perhaps the most fascinating character study I have yet to see on film.

Christina Ricci provides one of the year's best performances as Layla, the odd but tenderhearted tap dancer who provides Gallo's Billy Brown with the only true love he has ever received. Ricci's performance is brilliantly understated, and she relays just as much heartfelt meaning in one glance of her beautiful, dark eyes as Gallo does in his barrage of rapid-fire monologues.

There are also fine supporting performances from Ben Gazzara and Angjelica Huston, as Billy's utterly dysfunctional parents, Mickey Rourke, as a sleezy bookie, Jan-Michael Vincent, as Billy's touchingly loyal friend and owner of a bowling alley, and Kevin Corrigan, as Billy's slow but well-meaning best friend.

Buffalo 66 is an incredibly moving and beautiful film. It provides some of the starkest movie images of blue-collar society to come along since the '70s. The on-location Buffalo, New York sites are haunting in their bleakness, and the filtered photography emphasizes this all the more.

On top of all of this, Gallo provides a mesmerizing performance as Billy Brown-a man who has spent so much of his life pining for love and tenderness that he doesn't know how to deal with it once it is staring him in the face.

Simply put, Buffalo 66 is a staggering achievement. Vincent Gallo is a fiercely talented filmmaker and a force to be reckoned with in the future.

This is one of my favorite independent movies. Vincent Gallo writes, directs, and stars in this film. He plays Billy Brown, a young man recently released from prison who has a plan to get revenge on the kick of the the Buffalo Bills who lost the game on which he had bet a large sum of money. While in prison, he didn't tell his parents that he was in prison. Instead, he told them that he was married and working in another city far away. After being released from prison, he decides to visit his family. His mother insists that he bring his wife along. In desperation, Billy kidnaps Leila, a tap dance student played by Christina Ricci. Billy makes Leila play the part of his wife. The visit is a total disaster and we learn that Billy has the worst family in the world. Billy then focuses on his plan to get revenge.

This movie has a strong charcter driven plot. Even though Billy is a terribly unlikable in the beginning, you grow to pity him as secrets about his childhood are revealed. He becomes a hurt child lashing out at everyone. Leila also has strong emotional needs, which in some strange way, Billy fulfills. She becomes a sort of mother figure which tries to bring Billy back from the brink of his abyss. This has to be the most unromantic love story, but in it's own way, it shows that even just a seed of love can grow on the most infertile soil. This movie is definitely worth checking out.

An absolutely ravishing film, I fell completely in love with it. Utterly besotted, I walked around in a daze, and bored all my friends with my urgent recommendations.

Highly original, beautifully crafted, acted and shot, even the choice of film stock was perfect. Ricci's performance in particular was a revelation. Love, revenge, the eating of tripe, a tap-dance in a bowling alley, a comic, tragic pearl of a film. Billy Brown upsets us like Jimmy Dean. Layla plays it cool as wounded Redemption.

Contains the most tender love scene of the decade, as they lie almost touching on a motel bed.

Misogynistic? Billy does have a few problems. But is he presented as a role-model? No. And for the record-Yes; men can act like swine, and yes, women can still fall for them. Bewildering but not misogynistic, just the way of the world. Pay more attention. And really, do you honestly think that anybody's suggesting that it's OK to kidnap ? It's hardly 'Pretty Woman'...

Pretentious? Like a cheeseburger. Like an oyster. It is what it is; what's it supposed to be pretending to be ? Always the grunt of the vulgar.

Perfect ? Of course not. It's pretentious and misogynistic.It's impossibly romantic. It's definitely not for everybody.It's vicious yet sentimental. I hope I meet my Layla.

Just go and see it. Span time with it. Make your own mind up.If you don't enjoy yourself...don't worry.

To Earth With Love,

Christopher.

Dark, underrated little indie about a brooding college town loser (played with utter believability by writer/director Gallo) whose moronic, self-destructive obsession with revenge gets blindsided by unexpected love.

Starts out dreary and desolate - but stick with it. This little gem of a black comedy holds some hidden surprises, not the least of which is a lovely, vulnerable performance by an incredibly beautiful Ricci - who offers the schmuck a glimmer of hope and - just maybe - a last chance at happiness.

Cast is uniformly excellent but Ricci is just plain irresistible. One of the most magnetic screen actresses since Louise Brooks - you can't take your eyes off her.

Every strung-out loser should be so lucky.

This is a movie about a man, a loser, adrift after getting out of prison. The cinematagraphy perfectly captures upstate New York of an indeterminate but depressed time period, the world of repeated screw-up Billy Brown. The story and the movie are gritty and realistic. Through flashbacks, director/star Vincent Gallo shows us the tragedy and misfortune which shaped Billy into the lying, emotionally unstable, islated man he was upon his release from prison.

Gallo and Christina Ricci both shine as they play off each other as Billy and his kidnapee/confidante Layla. Their relationship grows increasingly complex as the movie progresses, and the acting is superb. Of course a movie like this can't end with everyone lying in a bed of roses, but there is an unepected turn that touches the viewers heart without seeming out of place.

Angelica Huston is outstanding as Billy's mother. She creates a character the audience will love to hate, a woman so subtly wretched that she makes the woman Billy kidnapped want to be nice to him.

Gallo has gotten recent press for his latest movie, The Brown Bunny. It is similarly gritty and bleak, focusing on a man adrift, but overall it fails while Bufflo '66 succeeds, mostly due to its overly snail-like pace. Buffalo '66 is a shining star for director and actor Vincent Gallo.

A tremendously moving film -- funny, yet achingly sad. As a native "Buffalonian," I have to say that Vincent Gallo has really captured the beautiful/terrible essence of a lonely night's journey through our fabulous city of fabulous decay. This film is sensitive, thoughtful & well-acted; it is brimming with pain, rage, sorrow and love. If you're looking for big action & an empty fast-moving plot, this film is NOT for you. If, however, you are looking for something... well, something "else," see this movie. You'll be thinking about it LONG after it has ended.

Like many other reviewers of this movie, I was totally captivated by how untraditional and original this little gem is. Instead of telling each other how they feel about each other, Gallo and Ricci use body language, awkward pauses, and goofy expressions to convey their emotions.

It's not that there's not dialogue--in fact, Gallo's character can't seem to stop talking--but what is spoken is not what is being implied. A great deal of the tension in this film is the inability of these characters to express themselves in any coherent manner.

I'd like to go on, but it would just be a rehash of the other positive reviews! Just let me add that this is one of the the very few movies I have watched more than twice, and lots of people I know share the same sentiment.

This is one of those strange independent films that I enjoy and realize is not for everyone. Vincent Gallo, the star, also wrote, directed, and did the music for this interesting film which tells the story with humor and pathos of a troubled young man who gets involved in a strange romance with Christina Ricci. There are also some small important parts played by Anjelica Houston, Ben Gazzara, Mickey Rourke and Roseanna Arquette. Camera work is interesting too -- freeze frames, fade-ins and outs, and other techniques that added to the weirdly melodramatic atmosphere. Everything is played for satire and exaggeration.

The core of the success of this film, though, is the deep characterization of the two lead characters. Loneliness and alienation are not only Gallo's and Ricci's, but belong to everyone, and a chord of truth rings true in a universality that is easily identifiable. Film buffs will find it fresh and interesting. Others might just find it weird.

This movie displays the reality of "true America".It captures the life occurances of someone that could be a relative, friend, or aquaintance. With a feeling of closeness to the characters, one can relate to their misgivings and yet understand the progression of the relationship between Christina Ricci and Vincent Gallo. It's a slightly tragic, comedic love story that makes one feel there is hope for anyone, even in the oddest of circumstances. I loved the realism portrayed by the actors and the final message of the film. It's the type of film you can watch repetively and feel the power of each emotion every time.