AMERICAN BUFFALO
SYNOPSIS:
Donny Dubrow (Dennis Franz) is a pawn shop owner in a seedy
section of town. Business is slow and Donny's upset because he's
just sold a buffalo head nickel to a buyer who paid much less
than it was worth. He's got his young gofer, Bobby (Sean Nelson),
scouting out the man, watching for when he'll leave town so that
Bobby can break into the man's home to steal the coin back.
Donny's friend, Teach (Dustin Hoffman), however, doesn't think
it's a good idea as he believes that Bobby's too young and
inexperienced to pull such a heist. Teach suggests he help out
and that while they're at it, they should clean the guy out. So
they take Bobby off the job, but then begin to get suspicious
when he brings in and tries to sell a similar nickel. Soon, no
one knows whom to believe until the suspicions come to a boil in
the final violent ending.
"Playwright David Mamet excels in depicting the inner
sanctum of the low-life New Yorker in all his glory. His work is
about male bonding and failure, and his words have a perceptive
truth about them. On film, however, without the help of a truly
strong and cinematically expressive director (as in the case of
James Foley's searing adaptation of Glengary Glen Ross), what is
left, is a film of hollow repetition, an overly verbose piece
designed to offer the viewer not so much as insight into these
characters' souls, but an appreciation of acting, and little
more. Al Pacino originated the role of Teach and was the first
choice in the film, but didn't want to work with this first-time
director. Regrettably then, Dustin Hoffman, who manages to define
the artistry of over-acting, is in the role, so that what one has
is a technically polished performance piece. Hoffman lacks the
emotional depth in his exploration of this greasy character, it's
all mannerism and gesture. There's no sense of character, but
theatrics which is why the film never achieves dramatic momentum.
Dennis Franz, however, outshines Hoffman, and delivers a
beautifully engaging performance, subtle, intricate,
soul-searching. Had he played opposite Pacino under the direction
of James Foley, a great play may well have been a great movie,
instead of the plodding, verbal bore left in its wake."
Paul Fischer
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AMERICAN BUFFALO (MA)
(US)
CAST: Dustin Hoffman, Dennis Franz, Sean Nelson
DIRECTOR: Michael Corrente
PRODUCER: Gregory Mosher
SCRIPT: David Mamet (based on David Mamet’s play)
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Richard Crudo
EDITOR: Kate Sanford
MUSIC: Thomas Newall
PRODUCTION DESIGN: Daniel Talpers
RUNNING TIME: 87 minutes
AUSTRALIAN DISTRIBUTOR: Roadshow
AUSTRALIAN RELEASE: October 23, 1997 (Melbourne)
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