Buffalo '66 (1998)

Director:

Vincent Gallo

Writers:

Vincent Gallo (story)
Vincent Gallo (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

26 June 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Billy Brown just got out of jail. Now he's going to serve some real time. He's going home.

Plot:

Billy is released after five years in prison. In the next moment, he kidnaps teenage student Layla and visits his parents with her...

Plot Keywords:

Jail | Prison | Dog | Bookie | Kidnapping

Awards:

5 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Vincent Gallo	...	Billy Brown
Christina Ricci	...	Layla
Ben Gazzara	...	Jimmy Brown
Mickey Rourke	...	The Bookie
Rosanna Arquette	...	Wendy Balsam
Jan-Michael Vincent	...	Sonny
Anjelica Huston	...	Jan Brown
Kevin Pollak	...	TV Sportscaster
Alex Karras	...	TV Sportscaster
John Sansone	...	Little Billy
Manny Fried	...	The Donut Clerk
John Rummel	...	Don Shanks
Bob Wahl	...	Scott Woods
Penny Wolfgang	...	The Judge
Anthony Mydcarz	...	The Motel Clerk

MPAA:

Rated R for language, strong violent images and scenes involving nudity.

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:14A (Ontario) | Iceland:16 | Singapore:M18 | New Zealand:R18 | South Korea:18 | Germany:12 | Australia:MA | France:U | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R | Argentina:13 | Hong Kong:IIB

Filming Locations:

Buffalo, New York, USA

Company:

Cinépix Film Properties (CFP)

Trivia:

The lines, "Don't you say 'thanks'?", "What?", "Don't you say 'thank you'?", "What?" are sampled at the very end of the song "Neo Violence" by The Tough Alliance.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Billy and Layla check into the motel, the clerk tells them check-out time is eleven o'clock, but a sign on the left wall states the time as noon.

Quotes:

Billy Brown: Just look like we are a married couple, *spanning time*!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Capital (Todo el mundo va a Buenos Aires) (2007)

Soundtrack:

A Cold & Grey Summer Day

Funny, Entertaining, and oddly-romantic

I fell in love with this movie. Before I saw it, I didn't know much at all about Vincent Gallo. I saw the trailer that was attached to "Out of Sight" and was like "well, that looks interesting. Maybe I'll check it out sometime." It took me a long time to track it down, but it was so worth the wait. One thing I can honestly say, is that the trailer is NOT deceptive. It pretty much tells you EXACTLY what you're going to get. One thing I wasn't expecting thoug, was the humor. There were times in this movie that I had to rewind and watch over because I was laughing so hard from the previous scene that I missed what was going on. Despite the film's depressing tone and deliberately grainy look, there are a lot of laughs here. Most of them come from the character of Billy Brown.

Never in my life, have I seen a more pathetic hero. The guy is almost totally unlikeable without ONE redeeming quality. In the opening frame, he's being released from Prison. He's been there for something like five years and it's obvious that he's coming out of there in the clothes that he was wearing when he went in. His wardrobe is hilarious and his red ankle boots are a laugh riot. As are his pants that appear to be about four inches too short. You can tell when you first see him that this guy is a real piece of work. The first ten minutes or so focus on our new friend trying to find a bathroom, without any luck. When he finally does find a restroom, he is harassed by an obese homosexual. This sets up a scene that is kinda sick but darkly funny.

Next thing, we learn the plan (part of it anyway) that Billy has up his sleeve. We meet his lunatic parents through a phone conversation and learn that they are clueless that Billy has been in lockup for the last five years. Apparently, they are stupid enough to believe that their son has been working in a foreign country as a government agent. They also believe that he is married. So he has to find a girl to pose as his wife. This sets up even more hilarious scenes as he kidnaps a young tap-dancer. I'm not going to go much farther. But the movie does get even funnier. Not only is it funny but it covers a lot of emotions. Here's a guy who's clearly been a loser his whole life, trying desperately to impress his parents who could care less about him. It sounds really depressing, but it's actually inspiring and, because it ends on a high note, it's uplifting.

While it may not be for everyone, it's still a very entertaining and rewarding film. It's been a few years since Gallo has done anything, but I'm really looking forward to his next project.

If anything, I'd say that this is a black-comedy/character study. It's probably the most original film of 1998 and it did take a lot of chances with its unique style. I have no complaints about this movie whatsoever and I'm giving it the highest score possible. It's a 10+.