Buffalo '66 [15th Anniversary] [Blu-ray]

Director: Vincent Gallo Vincent Gallo

Overview

Actor Vincent Gallo (The Funeral, Palookaville) made his feature directorial debut with this drama about convict Billy Brown (Gallo), released after half a decade spent behind bars. Drifting into downtown Buffalo, Billy kidnaps teen Layla (Christina Ricci) and has her pose as his loving wife when he visits his parents (Ben Gazzara and Anjelica Huston). Layla praises him and goes along with his fanciful tale that they met at CIA headquarters, where they both worked. Mom and dad not only fall for this, they are entranced by Layla, who soon begins to embellish her act. When she claims to be pregnant by Billy, he hustles her out to a bowling alley and on to a restaurant, where they run into trampy Wendy (Rosanna Arquette), who might be Billy's former girlfriend. Eventually, Billy seems ready to track down and kill the person he feels was responsible for his five years in the slammer. Shown at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival.

Product Details

Release Date:	01/14/2014
UPC:	0031398171034
Original Release:	1998
Rating:	R
Source:	LIONSGATE - 600000-AEC LGE
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Language:	English
Time:	1:49:00
Sales rank:	10,790

Special Features

Theatrical trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Vincent Gallo	Billy Brown,Composer
Christina Ricci	Layla
Ben Gazzara	Jimmy Brown
Anjelica Huston	Janet Brown
Mickey Rourke	Bookie
Rosanna Arquette	Wendy
Kevin Corrigan	Goon
Jan-Michael Vincent	Sonny
Kevin Pollak	TV Sportscaster
Alex Karras	TV Sportscaster
John Sansone	Little Billy Brown
Manny Fried	The Donut Clerk
John Rummel	Don Shanks
Bob Wahl	Scott Woods
Penny Wolfgang	Judge Penny M. Wolfgang
Anthony Mydcarz	The Motel Clerk
Michael Maciejewski	The Guy in the Bathroom
Jack Claxton	The Denny's Host
Dominic Telesco	The Prison Guard
Carl Marchi	The Cafe Owner
Kim Krah	The Denny's Waitress
Julius DiGennaro	The Info Booth Clerk
Terry Braunstein	The Tap Dance Teacher
Jack Hunter	The Gas Station Clerk
Norma Gelose	The Bus Station Woman
Jamie King	The Tap Dance Kids,The Tap Dance Kids
Ghennifer Dennis	Scott Woods Sexxotic Dancer
Erin Markle	Scott Woods Sexxotic Dancer
Valeria Hildebrandt	Scott Woods Sexxotic Dancer
Michelle McCluskey	Scott Woods Sexxotic Dancer
Terese Lenandowski	Scott Woods Sexxotic Dancer
Kim Bradway	Scott Woods Sexxotic Dancer
Dana Thompson	Scott Woods Sexxotic Dancer,Scott Woods Sexxotic Dancer
Karen Sitter	Scott Woods Sexxotic Dancer
Michelle Koninick	Scott Woods Sexxotic Dancer
Amy Jakabowski	Scott Woods Sexxotic Dancer
Mickey Rouse	Actor

Technical Credits

Vincent Gallo

Alison Bagnall

Vincent Gallo	Director,Screenwriter
John Dunning	Executive Producer
Chris Hanley	Producer
Andre Link	Executive Producer
Paul Murphy	Special Effects
Michael Paseornek	Executive Producer
Jeff Sackman	Executive Producer
Alison Bagnall	Screenwriter
Brian Miksis	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

Satire and offbeat romance blend nicely in Buffalo '66, the self-assured indie directorial debut of actor Vincent Gallo. Fresh out of prison after five years, Billy Brown (Gallo) kidnaps a young dancer (Cristina Ricci) and forces her to pose as his wife in an effort to impress his parents (Anjelica Huston and Ben Gazzara), who live in an exceedingly gray and dingy Buffalo, New York. Few words can accurately describe the taut feeling that comes with experiencing Gallo's hyper-satire, for which he also wrote the screenplay and composed the score. The absurd family scenes play as a caricature of caricature, a beautifully exaggerated nightmare of domestic dysfunction that is underscored by the drone of football on the TV and home movie-style flashbacks. It altogether works as a backdrop for the quirky boy-meets-girl comedy that has, ironically at times, the tone of a sad fairy tale. Gallo's performance is central to the film's success: He draws his character in broad strokes as a child in a scruffy ex-con's body, fleshing him out with keenly observed gestures and dialogue. Ricci's brand of nymphet style makes a perfect counterpoint to the obsessive manchild, and her sudden fantasy tap dance at a bowling alley sums up the film's unpredictable nature. The result is a movie that, despite dark comic overtones, is nothing more -- or less -- than a love story with a most unlikely charm.

Barnes & Noble - Gregory Baird