American Buffalo

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.

In a way this is almost like a pornmovie, but instead of sex you have talk. The movie is a 90 minute long filmed conversation. But to me the movie is more entertaining than many actionmovies. It's definitely not for all viewers hence the bad overall ratings, but I can still recommend it. The acting is over the top. Hoffman and Franz is a very funny combination. Seldom have I seen someone make so much out of so little. As oppose to other movies the climax isn't in the ending, every scene is equally important. Not as good as Glengarry glen ross though. GGR was both a character study and a good movie. This is "just" an excellent character study, but with these actors it's enough to make it worth watching.

Brilliantly acted. Hoffman's performance is reminiscent of his role in Death of a Salesman. Unfortunately, the ending is a let down. I was hoping for more of a shock. Still worth watching if only for Hoffman and Franz and if you love Mamet.

American Buffalo is an example of David Mamet's ear for dialogue and his way with the gritty underbelly of society. Perhaps no other movie has so deftly demonstrated Mamet's unique sense of rhythm in spoken language. The movie is engrossing and entertaining, all the while using only one location and three characters. Dustin Hoffman is revoltingly slimy as Teach, and Dennis Franz perfects the conflicted role of Don that he originated on stage many years ago. A must see for any fan of Mamet or student of the human condition.

...so why couldn't they find a more imaginative director? Michael Corrente's direction of this would have seemed static and lethargic even if it had been done on the stage, which it practically was. If you're going to do a filmed staging, do a filmed staging. But if you're going to go through the motions of making a film, try to make it the least bit visually interesting. What does this guy have against moving the camera, for chrissake?? It's a shame, really, as Franz and Hoffman are flawless, and really have a handle on the tough delivery of Mamet dialogue. To see how easy it is to make Mamet-speak sound odd and out of place, check out the performance of Pinky in the recent "Heist". Mamet is as difficult to act as Shakespeare, all submerged rhythms and unusual language. American Buffalo is a powerful work, and the performances reflect the power of the text...but all that power crashes to the ground like a 747 with Corrente's static presentation. I'm giving this a 7/10, simply because the script and performances were SO brilliant. If directing were all I was taking into account, it'd be a 3/10. So disappointing.