American Buffalo (1996)

User Rating:

5.4/10   

Director:

Michael Corrente

Writers (WGA):

David Mamet (play)
David Mamet (screenplay)

Release Date:

13 September 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

They had a plan. It wasn't worth a nickel.

Plot:

Long-repressed feelings of bitterness and betrayal explode when three inner-city losers plot the robbery of a valuable coin in a seedy second-hand junk shop.

Plot Keywords:

Coin | Robbery | Junk Shop | Loser | Betrayal

Cast

Dustin Hoffman	...	Walt 'Teach' Teacher
Dennis Franz	...	Don 'Donny' Dubrow, Owner Rvterbands Variety
Sean Nelson	...	Bob 'Bobby'

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Argentina:13 | South Korea:15 | Finland:K-14 | Australia:MA | Germany:12 | Iceland:L | Portugal:M/12 (video premiere) | Spain:13 | UK:15 | USA:R | New Zealand:R16

Filming Locations:

Pawtucket, Rhode Island, USA

Company:

Capitol Films

Trivia:

Michael Corrente was offered the job of directing after meeting producer Gregory Mosher at a screening of Corrente's "Federal Hill." He told Mosher, the director of the original stage production, "This won't mean anything to Mamet, bout could you tell him that 'Federal Hill' never would have happened if I hadn't seen 'Buffalo' onstage when I was a kid?" Mosher then suggested that Corrente direct the film adaptation.

Quotes:

Teach: We're talking about money for Christ's sake, we're talking about cards. Friendship is friendship and a wonderful thing and I'm all for it. I never said different, and you know me on this thing, but let's just keep it separate, OK? Let's keep the two apart and we can deal with each other like some human beings.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Frogs for Snakes (1998)

A good movie if you're a fan of the stage play

Your average movie goer will not enjoy this film. With a small cast of three main characters, the majority of the film takes place in a single room. This alone may explain why the film never took off as the blockbuster it should have been with actors such as Dennis Franz and Dustin Hoffman. The direction of the film could have been much better that it turned out to be. Like other critics have said, the film was shot like it was being acted on stage. This is very true. The film has no unique directing style nor does it have any strong motif to add to the films creative look and style. The acting in the film, on the other hand, is wonderful. Franz and Hoffman are excellent together. With a stronger movie maker in the director's chair, the movie could have been much much better.