Buffalo '66 (1998)

Great Film overall

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Billy Brown (Vincent Gallo) is bitter and angry after five years in prison. He gets released, looking for a place to pee and kidnaps tap dancing student Layla (Christina Ricci). He had lied to his parents (Ben Gazzara, Anjelica Huston) that he's been married while away with a government job. She has to be his pretend wife Wendy Balsam. He is severely damaged and she's oddly interested in him. Billy had put $10k on Buffalo to win but the kicker Scott Wood misses the game winning field goal. Billy vows to kill him. His friend Goon (Kevin Corrigan) claims that Scott now owns a strip club. Billy and Layla bump into the real Wendy Balsam (Rosanna Arquette) who Billy had a crush on. Billy is a really annoying jerk. A few times, I almost laugh but mostly, he is really really annoying. I like the imaginative visual style in this indie but I really can't stand Billy. It's a good performance from Gallo. His character shows more vulnerability later on but his defensiveness is also very pathetic. The words too-good-for-him keep coming to mind. It's not good chemistry as much as morbid fascination with their relationship.

i had never heard of this guy Vincent Gallo before i happened to watch this movie. Later i also learned that he had been in company with likes of Jean Michael Basquiat.Verisimilitude of performances and sequence of events can actually make you feel all of it happening with you. Human being in despair develops dangerous ideas in their mind as a means to show their hatred towards things that disappointed them. And sometimes he is so obsessed with the idea, he becomes oblivion of all the facts.Billy brown was force to get himself convicted as a favor to pay his debt. When he is released from Jail he is filled with rage and his only motive is to kill Scott woods who he believes deliberately lost the game for 'Buffalo'. Billy batted for Buffalo and their loss got him into debt. But before that he once wishes to visit his parents who are least excited to see him after long. His mother is only happy to see his son alive and not eager to know anything except his good looking wife. Billy, to present himself reasonably for couple of hours in front of his parents abducts a young dancer who falls for him at first sight. Though the proposal of pretending herself as his wife and visiting Billy's parents seems an absurd idea she agrees to do so without any resistance. Billy's obsession to kill Scott Woods fails him to realize the true love of that girl until towards the very end of the movie.Billy's disturbed and confused state of mind is well portrayed by Gallo and it will drive you to hysterical laughters. Ricci is so adorable, no one but only Billy can neglect her charm.

This is one of my favourite films - and not just because it's a wonderful visual experience with great performances by all actors. It's because love in this film feels true, far from the ordinary attraction we've grown accustomed to watch portrayed as love, especially on the screen.I'm reminded of a moving speech in the "Poupées russes" film from one of the female characters, about being in love with a man's imperfections. But here it's more than this: it's a pure, child-like image of love, an ideal they both seem to share. Love is seeing the best in someone and that's exactly what Layla does. In this sense it doesn't matter if Billy is so pathetic that normally no one would pay attention to him. We can watch everything through Layla's eyes and understand her reactions because we too can't help but care.As for the kidnapping, it's obvious the man is a harmless lunatic, not a dangerous criminal. We see plainly on Layla's face (superb mimic by Christina Ricci) that she reads him perfectly and is curious to find out more, dismissing the completely ridiculous threats for what they are: empty words. A bit far-fetched? Perhaps, but not entirely implausible.

This film is about a man who has just got out of prison. He kidnaps a girl and makes her pretend to be his wife in front of his parents.You need to be in a certain mood to appreciate the subtle beauty of "Buffalo '66". The lead character Bobby Brown is not a likable person at all, as he is rude, aggressive, impulsive and egocentric. The plot might appear slow moving, but underneath this slow motion there is a wave of emotional undercurrent. Bobby is unloved throughout his life, which is so well portrayed by the shocking interaction of Bobby and his parents. The relationship between Bobby and Layla is strange and yet captivating. The motive of Bobby for finding someone to love is clear, but unfortunately we do not know why Layla cooperates with Bobby. She could easily have walked away, but she chose to stay. "Buffalo '66" would have been even better if Layla's backgrounds and state of mind were told.