Buffalo Bushido (2009)

best movie i've ever seen.

A Masterpiece!

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

I'm always on the hunt for a great indie film cut from a different cloth than mainstream and not afraid to be bold. "Buffalo Bushido" is just that. It starts with the script and the biggest void I find in indie films is poor dialog. From the moment Bruce Glover and Peter McGennis start the film seated at a dumpster rambling about philosophy, you know that you're on a unspoiled, creative path. Glover is superb in his surreal identity and McGennis has a very likable quality to his dark, honest character similar to a rugged Clint Eastwood in his western days.The performances continue to shine with Jesse L. Martin entering the picture. He's another wonderful "honest" actor who adds depth to McGennis' personal film. Leila Arcieri delivers what is by far her best work playing a real woman caught and honestly struggling with her past. She goes looking to uncover and succeeds in unraveling. We are then treated and assaulted by John Savage in a completely over-the-top, unforgettable performance as a manic parole officer. Fred Weller and Lord Jamar are terrific in their supporting roles. Again the word "honest" comes to mind as both Weller & Jamar deliver McGennis' creative script with precision. Noteworthy cameos by Lezley Zen and Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka keep us on our toes and move the film along in surprising ways.Very strong ending, true to the story, shows McGennis is not a filmmaker to cop out. "Buffalo Bushido" is a bold, creative, personal film (somewhere between drama and thriller) that goes deep and makes you think and feel. A refreshing departure from the action-heavy films of today that don't make audiences think or invest. If you like smart films, you'll get a kick out of "Buffalo Bushido".

Every time I think the low budget independent drama is dead, I stumble across a little gem of a film that changes my mind and gives me hope. "Buffalo Bushido" is just that. Quirky yet specific. Honest yet surreal. Myopic yet projecting in its meaning. Through nuance, familiarity and performance, McGennis taps into his hometown with acute specificity and keeps you hanging on until the end. His use of layering is absolutely brilliant and shows a degree of thought and level of depth missing in Hollywood today. McGennis and Leila Arcieri deliver some very powerful moments as they slowly break down in their struggle to connect. All of the cast deliver fresh, surprising performances and McGennis especially shows skill linking certain characters to his own. "Buffalo Bushido" is a thinking person's film that takes its time to develop and take hold. It's oddities make it very hard to forget and suggest that we are witnessing an emerging new talent with creative vision and the unique ability to pull off all four major capacities (writing, directing, producing and acting) with voice and style. Like most unheralded early works, "Buffalo Bushido" will likely fly under the radar screen and be most appreciated down the road until McGennis achieves greater commercial success. Check it out. "Buffalo Bushido" is a tremendous accomplishment especially for anyone who dreams about making a film or who knows of everything that goes into making a real independent feature film.

I think "Buffalo Bushido" is a tremendous film. It not only captures the mood and spirit of Buffalo like no other film I've ever seen but the performances of the ensemble cast are superb. Peter McGennis gives a raw and honest portrayal of an estranged schizophrenic coming home to confront his haunted childhood. He really dials in to a narrow band width for his transparent, ghost-like existence and lets his imagination break out in odd, original ways (flashbacks, animation etc). His "loss of touch" and symptomatic voices are best revealed by Bruce Glover who plays McGennis' many alter egos. John Savage gives a savage-like performance as Vendetti, a corrections officer. It's the best John Savage performance I've seen in many moons and his dialogue is fantastic (McGennis wrote the script). Leila Arcieri, Jesse L. Martin, Fred Weller and Lord Jamar all add to the chemistry and emotional depth of the film as do all of the child actors who play the younger roles of their adult counterparts.Keeping in mind that McGennis wrote (script & music), directed, acted, and produced, "Buffalo Bushido" is nothing short of an amazing achievement. Working with something like a tenth of the budget of a typical low budget indie film, McGennis' production value is incredible (film, locations, cinematography, sound design, everything). While "Buffalo Bushido" will undoubtedly be the most appreciated in Buffalo, it is a film not to be missed. It is a dark, personal film that draws you in and keeps you there, in its throes, until the end. Great acting and great script (an original spin on a coming home story). Kudos to McGennis for earning his calling card as a complete artist and for inspiring in his hometown.

I'm not sure what to think of this film. The premise is not entirely original albeit still somewhat compelling. The casting of a non-actor in the lead role which as it turns out is also apparently the writer/director/producer leads one to think that this film is little more than a vanity project for this person - especially when you consider the number of times we see the writer/director/producer/lead actor's bare butt in the film.Taking the film on its own merits yields little for an audience I'm afraid as the ham-fisted execution of the amateurish narrative and lackluster performance of the lead coupled with the running time of 100+ minutes and complete lack of chemistry between the lead and his romantic counterpart leaves merely a few interesting performances from the minor characters.The half-baked story never quite achieves a level of authenticity as it skims the surface of various themes and personal issues of the characters without ever really delving into their inner lives. I had a hard time caring about a single cardboard cutout or cartoon character in the film which is more likely an issue with the writing and direction since I recognized quite a few very good actors in the cast.Based on the title, I expected something more in the way of a mystical exploration of a small town guy's life through the fascinating "Bushido" Samurai code of ethics but that never seemed to materialize as it all appeared as little more than window dressing. Anyone knowing anything about the tenets of Bushido would more than likely take issue with the lead character's use of narcotics and his Christianity.Comparisons to other films certainly help to draw attention to the lack of arc with respect to the lead character, Davis, who after trying to unsuccessfully reconnect with his childhood friends ultimately chooses defenestration as his own mother had many years before, checking out the same downtrodden, psychotic loser he is when the present day story begins.The ending, apparently an attempt at something profound had me scratching my head as did the mishmash of musical styles employed on the soundtrack. The only thing that remained constant and seemed deliberate throughout the film was the apparent narcissism of the writer/director/producer/lead actor who as it turns out never even acted in a film before (as far as I can tell).In all, an odd little film that more than likely won't make much of a splash beyond Buffalo where it was made.