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*** out of **** stars

The only sequence of Buffalo '66 that warmed my heart with thankful relief from almost two hours of wondering why the main character - Billy Brown (Vincent Gallo)- would make such unorthodox decisions against the obvious, right decisions, was during the last five minutes (approx.) of the film. What a pay off! What a tension breaking five minutes it was! I felt I could breathe easy after happily discovering that Billy is a man that can make loving, almost predictable and sane decisions after all, and all because of Layla (Christina Ricci), the new angel in his life, who he haphazardly "kidnapped" in a dance studio; who he finally realizes is his savior. We never find out much about Layla, if anything at all. Where does she come from and why is she the way she is? Why does she see a loving light in despicable Billy? Why doesn't she leave him, after so much verbal abuse and selfishness? I believe the reason she doesn't is because director, writer, composer and actor Gallo understands that in most scripts out of cliché Hollywood, she WOULD leave Billy. And then what kind of movie would we have? One that we've seen time and time again. The decisions that the characters make in Buffalo '66's entire time frame are the antithesis of conventionalism.

What makes Billy Brown tick is strenuously simple, but only after a fair amount of contemplation after spending time with him: his parents, played by Ben Gazzara and Anjelica Huston, have systematically not given their son an ounce of validation of pride or yes, love, for his entire life, spent in frigid Buffalo, New York. Billy has spent his whole life excessively fabricating his importance in hope to gain that validation, but never with any success. Whether biological parents can demonstrate such intense apathy and coldness toward their own flesh and blood, as seen in this movie, is up for debate. But if they were able to be so callously and blindly bold, the bitter and sad result of such a man as Billy seems plausible. Gallo's skillful acting ability in his role floors me, because we actually somehow care for Billy. And why should we? Because through his sin we envision humanness that, I believe, we can all relate to: the errors we make; the lack of self-worth we may feel; loneliness; rejection; and the pain that is inflicted upon us from those who are supposed to unconditionally love us the most. Ricci's astounding performance, which I believe carries the most improvisation of any character in the film, brilliantly sheds the most light on the movie's message, which is: when someone cares about you more than themselves, it can truly change you for the better, no matter how much emotional baggage you may have. If we all had a Layla in our lives, psychiatrists would go into extinction.

Clearly made on a budget, there is no fancy CGI, no big car chases and no big fight scenes. It's a piece that relies very much on performance to keep it together and on that front I can't fault it. Both Vincent Gallo and Christina Ricci did a fine job, as did Ben Gazzara and Anjelica Houston. I guess it's one of those films that's more about the inner workings of the mind; you find yourself asking what is the motivation behind Billy's actions and what exactly does Layla see in him? I have to admit at first I really didn't like the character of Billy, but he grew on me as I came to understand him more. It's a film that took some time to get going but I found it a worthy watch eventually.

SteelMonster's verdict: RECOMMENDED

My score: 6.6/10

You can find an expanded version of this review on my blog: Thoughts of a SteelMonster.

Vincent Gallo's directorial debut is a powerhouse of fine acting, writing, and direction, not to mention a showcase for some truly jaw-dropping cinematography. Buffalo 66 is one of the finest independent films that I have ever seen, and perhaps the most fascinating character study I have yet to see on film.

Christina Ricci provides one of the year's best performances as Layla, the odd but tenderhearted tap dancer who provides Gallo's Billy Brown with the only true love he has ever received. Ricci's performance is brilliantly understated, and she relays just as much heartfelt meaning in one glance of her beautiful, dark eyes as Gallo does in his barrage of rapid-fire monologues.

There are also fine supporting performances from Ben Gazzara and Angjelica Huston, as Billy's utterly dysfunctional parents, Mickey Rourke, as a sleezy bookie, Jan-Michael Vincent, as Billy's touchingly loyal friend and owner of a bowling alley, and Kevin Corrigan, as Billy's slow but well-meaning best friend.

Buffalo 66 is an incredibly moving and beautiful film. It provides some of the starkest movie images of blue-collar society to come along since the '70s. The on-location Buffalo, New York sites are haunting in their bleakness, and the filtered photography emphasizes this all the more.

On top of all of this, Gallo provides a mesmerizing performance as Billy Brown-a man who has spent so much of his life pining for love and tenderness that he doesn't know how to deal with it once it is staring him in the face.

Simply put, Buffalo 66 is a staggering achievement. Vincent Gallo is a fiercely talented filmmaker and a force to be reckoned with in the future.

Never even heard of Gallo: just happened onto this film on IFC one night and totally loved it. The acting was superb, the story even more so; and that camera work! Gallo's character, Billy Brown, was a picture of hate and resentment due to his unfeeling, unloving parents who made it clear from day one that he wasn't wanted, much less loved. This pushing away by these heartless, empty people turned young Billy into a introvert who was only able to find love within the confines of his own dreamy mind. Of course, this was insufficient which drove Billy to acting out in some bizarre and dangerous ways. Finally, when love does come it terrifies him and causes him to push away this affection continuing the cycle started by his parents. At times I found myself rocking with laughter at the antics of these hurting and emotionally scarred folks, but the tale was anything but comical. I wish there were more pictures coming out as interesting and dramatic as this.

buffalo 66 is a lot like its creator, vincent gallo: harsh, unkempt, dangerous looking,a sure bet to be a miserable loser. at first glance this film seems to have nothing going for it, but give it ten minutes and then see if you can turn away. a dissection of a loose circling collection of emotional misfits, Vincent Gallo's creation (he wrote, directed, starred in the thing and even wrote the original music for the film) of billy brown, his parents and Layla, the girl who comes to love him is an amazing thing. what at first sounds like annoyingly fake bravado soon reveals the tormented souls beneath. again and again the film confounds expectations morphing into one of the most moving and convincing portraits of love and redemption imaginable. a justly deserving winner of its numerous art film awards (especially those earned by former child actress christina ricci in a devastated angel performance)buffalo 66 earns all the risks it takes and reminds us that even the worst first impressions can sometimes be wrong

Vincent Gallos directorial debut film. Billy Brown who is just released out of prison abruptly kidnaps Layla, an amenable tap dancer to pose as his wife while he visits his parents for the first time in 5 years. The raw cinematography and unconventional editing makes this movie unique. Billy's resilient persona and Layla's willingness keeps you intrigued. With performances by the characters that you never see coming, this blossoming romance between two complete strangers becomes relatable and captivating.

If there's one thing about us Buffalonians, we're fiercely protective of our city. So I was reluctant to see "Buffalo 66" when it was first released in 1998, hearing how it showed our beleaguered metropolis in a not so glowing light. Let's face it, though -- Buffalo will never have the urbane sophistication of a San Francisco, Seattle or New York. Best to ignore the jabs thrown our way by those elitist, Perrier-drinking queche eaters. And at least Vince Gallo is one of us -- a working class Buffalo boy. So my wife and I finally decided to give "Buffalo 66" a try on Easter Sunday (after eating a brunch of eggs and Polish sausage from the Broadway Market). We were pleasantly surprised by this unusual picture. Sure, the plot is ridiculous and the characters grossly exaggerated. But the movie is a wickedly satirical romp that never takes itself too seriously and keeps your interest throughout. Buffalo Bills fans will love the references to a fictitious Bills placekicker named "Scott Woods" who misses a potential game-winning field goal in the Super Bowl, a not-so-subtle reference to Scott Norwood of the infamous "Wide Right" in the 1991 Bowl. Better yet, this Scott Woods character runs a strip joint in Buffalo, hilarious when you consider the real Scott Norwood is one of the most upstanding guys you'd ever want to meet. Ben Gazzara and Anjelica Huston are a scream as Vince's wacky parents and Christina Ricci -- an actress I've never particularly admired -- is sexy and sweet as the young Layla. Mickey Rourke and Jan Michael Vincent are great in cameo appearances. "Buffalo 66" is grimy, hard-edged and lacks polish (sort of like the city it represents) and that helps make it an eminently watchable film.

Buffalo '66 was really original in terms of both plot and style. At moments, the story of Billy Brown's life is so terribly tragic and bizarre, you almost have to break the tension by cracking a laugh. In the film, Vincent Gallo's ex-jail bird character, Billy Brown, kidnaps a young tap-dancer named Layla, played by Christina Ricci, to pose as his wife on his visit back home to his dysfunctional family. The colors are beautifully bold and somehow elegant by being so far past tacky. The film is really great.

The story is actually based somewhat on Vincent Gallo's own traumatic life. The Sinatra song that the Billy Brown's father sings to Layla in the bedroom is actually a tape of Vincent Gallo's father, Vincent Gallo, Sr. I read in an interview that Vincent Gallo has scripted another movie he hopes to direct and feature in. He is trying to get enough money to do it all himself. I am curious to see how it turns out, since this film was allegedly wound so tightly around scraps of his own life.

Everything in this film is ugly (except Christina Ricci), but it is meant to be like that, so in that sense, there is something to be said about the skillful writing and directing of the film. The acting is also very impressive, at least the majority of it. Vincent Gallo is sickeningly convincing as the ugly, disgusting man portrayed in the film, who is bent on seeking revenge on the man who he blames for his unjust stint in prison. Oddly enough, even though his performance provides a deep feeling of discomfort at times, it was an incredible performance. It is difficult to imagine Gallo as anything other than the kind of person that he played in this movie.

Christina Ricci was just as beautiful as she alway is in her movies, but even though she was a very relieving character to watch while being bombarded with the misanthropic Billy Brown (Gallo), she also played the most unrealistic and unconvincing part in the film. Let's think about the logic here. A dirty and scruffy man is released from prison, he kidnaps this girl who would be attractive even if she wasn't a movie star, his communication with her is limited to impatient demands and insults intended to harm, and she freakin' falls in love with him. He never said a single nice word to her, with the exception of his forced and slight apology after he is finally able to relieve himself at the beginning of the film. Their entire relationship is so ridiculously unrealistic that it almost overshadows every other thing that the film accomplishes.

Besides that, some of the scenes were downright boring. A good majority of the scenes that took place when they went to Billy's parents' house comes to mind. The editing was botched with the point of view shots at the dinner table, as well. Buffalo '66 is not a pretty film, but it is meant to be ugly. It would have been a great film had it not been for the unlikely relationship between Layla (Ricci) and Billy Brown, as well as the slightly messed editing and an overly abrupt transformation of Brown's mentality at the end of the film. The message of the film, despite the film's appearance, is actually pretty healthy. It has a lot to say about the pointlessness of revenge, but even that as well as some fascinating camera work in the strip club at the end of the movie are not enough to save this film from cinematic obscurity. This is the type of film that you watch to study different writing and directing styles, you don't watch something like this to enjoy it.

After seeing this film for the first time I absolutely loved it! It was only after I purchased it on DVD that I saw in the credits just how much Gallo had to do with this film. He did just about everything major to complete this movie...from the music to the writing credits. Personally, I think that he did a fabulous job and I compliment him highly on this piece of motion picture art.

I tend to take this story on a personal level. I have never been to prison, but I know that I can relate to a lot of what Gallo's character feels about his family. My family life was not too great whilst growing up, but it really put things in perspective for me to see someone who's parents are that oblivious to their son's most basic needs.

Some of the scenes may seem absurd and extreme as far as the obliviousness of the parents, but in a sense I think that is what Gallo was trying to get across to the viewing audience. This factor makes it all the more pertinent as to why Gallo's character is the way he is. To me this film is a reflection of an individual's life who has nothing to lose and yet so much to gain. Everything from the cold and gloomy atmosphere during the first half of the film to Gallo's character's pessimistic demeanor and repetitiveness of phrases only emphasize the aura of his life-long frustration and contempt for the world while revealing his desperate and longing need to find something tangible for once in his life...something that he apparently never had and that he thankfully finds in the confidence of Ricci's character.

I could go on and on and on about how much this film meant to me and how beautifully directed, written and acted out this piece of work is, especially in the end since I have had thoughts and have considered and contemplated such things in the past. I admit that the height of the film's end freaked me out for a few moments, but left me feeling overwhelmed with relief and joy during the final concluding moments.

To sum up: You HAVE TO watch this film. Period.

It's films like this one - and the astonishingly mixed reviews it's garnered - that remind me how completely subjective this business is. I don't think I've ever enjoyed a film as little as Buffalo 66; I found it a perpetual struggle to watch, and only stayed to the end out of stubbornness, and a hope that there might be some sort of moment of revelation somewhere along the line. Yet I can't really say that this is a BAD film, much as I loathed it: it's well directed, has a terrific cast, Billy's dialogue has a certain compelling, desperate rhythm to it at times, and its grimy, downtrodden locations are extremely well chosen. My dislike of it was, I think, dislike of Vincent Gallo himself in an oddly personal way: here is a protagonist who is not just without a redeeming feature (that I can cope with) but without a single interesting feature, and Gallo seems convinced that he's a full-blown hero of romantic alienation. Perhaps the film is more ironic than I think - but I don't think so, it seems completely self-absorbed and solipsistic, yet the self into which it's absorbed simply isn't one with whom I want to spent five minutes.

It doesn't surprise me that Gallo originally completed a screenplay for this film a full decade before he made it, because this strikes me as fundamentally adolescent posturing, which is going to be appreciated primarily by young men who are in the adolescent-posturing stage themselves - aged eighteen it's possible I'd have found this a thrilling exercise in self-justification. Now I'm a few years past that (reader, condolences are welcome) I simply found myself infuriated by his self-importance. In particular, the way the film exploits its meaningless, nugatory fantasy woman, Layla, is pretty revolting. I can sort of see why Christina Ricci was tempted to play it, because the sheer absence of a character in the character she was playing is both a challenge and a sort of liberation for an actor, but it's still an absolute dog's breakfast of a role. Ricci herself is always worth watching, and there are flashes of brilliance from her and the rest of the cast. But the mind-numbingly unsubtle, egotistical, banal, clichéd, uninvolving and fundamentally stupid nature of Billy's progress puts this film absolutely beyond redemption for me.

Vincent Gallo's has supplied us with more than just a powerful character driven pic with the touching "Buffalo '66". Somehow he has managed to provide a much needed counterpoint to another recent noteworthy effort, "Good Will Hunting".

Instead of a pouting GQ-genius we get a main character much more common to everyday life. A simple loser trying to claw his way out of a hole that he never meant to dig for himself. A victim of circumstance who not only dosen't but couldn't know any better. It's a simple tale of desparation and lonliness that never shies away from cutting all the way down to the bone.

Billy Brown is revolting. Greasy, unmannered, and fresh from jail, the viewer is given no reason at all to care about him. He kidnaps Layla (Ricci) in an effort to maintain the machinery of lies that he has constructed to keep his nebulus parents unaware of his time in jail.

It becomes clear that she falls for him after meeting his parents and other major players in his life. Billy didn't just get the short end of the stick, he never even had a chance. At this point you are forced to ask why, instead of trying to connect with him, she isn't running for her life from this apparent maniac. But on closer examination you realize that you are also sticking around. Not simply to see what happens but to make sure that Billy turns out OK.

Gallo want's to make it clear that Billy was warped from the outside in. From the day of his birth he was hated by his psychotic mother, played brilliantly by Anjelica Houston, because her going into labor prevented her from watching the "Big Game" in which her favorite team triumphed in the 1966 Superbowl. And it was another pivotal Bills game that doomed Billy Brown and sent him to jail for 5 years just as he entered adulthood. A stark contrast to the scene in "Good Will Hunting" where Damon and Williams charachters recount the famous Boston Red Sox victory and thereby establish a deeper connection on the road to that protagonist's healing.

The road to Billy's wellness will have to be found elsewhere and with little help from anyone at all. He is forced to configure his own compass to guide him to the next step in his life and although it isn't pretty the result is far more belivable than "Good Will".

Gallo used his microscopic budget well especially in the flashback and dream sequences. This work resonates with some of John Cassavetes' tradmark overtones without exploiting them. And I'm not just talking about the presence of Ben Gazzara.

You can feel the cold of Buffalo seeping through every crack inside a given scene. You can also sense that the actors were given plenty of latitude to construct their charachters but we're directed with a special urgency. The end result enables the viewer to be propelled through the film instead of mearly left to watch it unfold before them.

The screenplay delves into territory where Tarantino and his like fear to tread. A style of film making that depends more on raw performance than on well laid plans and clever constructs. Gallo chose his team well and trusted them to win it for him and they came through brilliantly.

This movie is pure art, plain and simple. Even if the movie might not be to your taste (a lot of people don't like this film at all, and they find it boring and meaningless). Hopefully one can agree it is really nice to know that there was once a time and place when American Independent Cinema really had a heart and soul and it is in full exhibition here. Classification avant-garde.

Vincent Gallo wrote the story and screen play, directed the film, and was the main star. Vincent Gallo fresh out of a five-year prison stint who really needs to take a leak but can't find a bathroom anywhere.

Easily one of the best contemporary actresses ever, Christina Ricci (who plays Layla), enters and is literally kidnapped by Vincent's character. This happens realistically, with a dark sense of humor-- (in a building where he almost finds a toilet), brings her to his family and poses her as his wife. We then get a wonderful half-hour of the biggest generation gap in history in which Gallo, Ricci and his parents, Angelica Huston and Ben Gazzara, have the most complicated anti-bonding dinner in history.

This indie gem is downright brilliant with wonderful imagery, antique film stock, strategically placed camera-angles and split screens that all work to embody the dreamlike... or rather... nightmarish quality. Also, needing to be mentioned it the soundtrack of this movie which personally I believe to be among the best, featuring original music from writer, director and star Vincent Gallo as well as prog-rock artists like Yes and King Crimson. Buffalo '66 is an exceptional film IMO.



Interesting cinematography note: Buffalo '66 was shot on a Reversal stock that the NFL used to use to film games back in the 1970s. It was out of production and Gallo's production gathered all they could to shoot the film and give it it's gorgeous wintery palette.

In real life : Ricci and Gallo did not fancy one another.

Model, actor-director and sometimes singer Vincent Gallo has a very good memory ... and very, very loose lips to match. Gallo, who wrote, directed and starred in the darling indie film "Buffalo 66" in 1998, has reportedly talked smack about Christina Ricci, his co-star in the film, to a New York Post Page Six columnist, according to a Mr. Showbiz report.

Gallo: "It was OK when she wasn't drunk on the set. I think she's an alcoholic -- it was either that, or she was on cough syrup the whole time," Gallo allegedly said about Ricci.

Hold on, it gets better/worse .

"I don't like her," Gallo reportedly blabbered on. "She's an ungrateful c***. But it was OK. She's basically a puppet. I told her what to do, and she did it."

And better/worse.

"She lost 17 pounds, and that was because I only let her eat one whole pizza pie every day," he said.

And this was Ricci's response in an interview from 2007 (questions bolded this time):

Quote: It's ten years since you made 'Buffalo 66' with Vincent Gallo.

I was seventeen, yeah. It was my first movie away without my mother. Not a wise choice. I really didn't understand what was going on most of the time working with a crazy lunatic man. I'd never encountered such insanity.

He said some nice things about your weight.

Oh yes, I've been there. Horrible things. He waited three or four years and then decided to make fun of my weight at the time that we were shooting 'Buffalo 66'. He waited that long to make fun of a seventeen-year-old. It's so bizarre, and I hadn't seen him in years, I hadn't done anything to him. It was just like: okay, a. s . s hole.

Did you get on with him when making the film?

No, not really. He's one of those people who sometimes he's so nice to you and then the next he imagines that you've done something horrible and he'll start screaming at you. It's difficult to get on well with someone like that.

Did you see his next film, 'The Brown Bunny'? Oh, I didn't see it. I have no interest in seeing anything he ever does again.

Hilarious and heartbreaking at the same time, like real upstate New York. Seldom have I experienced better acting performances in a sincere and obvious comedy. Outstanding soundtrack, excellent writing. So many low key jokes if you're familiar with the area. Wide right. Goddamit. 'Nuf said. Can you imagine if Scott Norwood opened up a strip club in Buffalo in 1998? Maybe this happened and I missed it, I haven't lived in Buf for a long time. Vincient Gallo kind of sucks and this movie oozes VG but somehow it all works. This will be considered Mr. Gallo's peak as an entertainment personality (or artist or whatever) I believe (and also Ms. Ricci, and maybe Rosanna Arquette too). I mean that in a good way though, this is a very good movie. Even though Gallo's Billy personality dominates the story, all of the characters are given the opportunity to shine- no matter how minor. Ultimately very uplifting, maybe a realistic love story in alot of ways. Maybe my favorite last 15 minutes in cinema history, but that's just me. Highest recommendations. Worth noting perhaps that Norwood was a very good kicker that year except for that one FG attempt.

Odd mixture of moods in stark, high-definition drama starring Vincent Gallo as an ex-con just out of prison who immediately kidnaps a young woman and asks her to pose as his wife when he goes back home to his dysfunctional parents. Gallo, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Alison Bagnall and directed, goes for a kind of quasi-subtlety; he's careful and nuanced and yet, when scenes need a good kick, he hammers his points home with an unsteady hand (as with every moment involving Ben Gazzara, way over the top as Gallo's father). "Buffalo '66" isn't particularly fresh, but there's an exciting sense of raw talent emerging, and the movie has all the requisite pleasures therein. Gallo also composed the very fine score and gets mostly solid supporting work from his cast, including the sometimes-overrated Christina Ricci. **1/2 from ****

"Buffalo '66" is a different kind of low budget film. It is the kind of film that most high budget films should attempt to emulate!

Tons of congratulations to Vincent Gallo. He wrote the story and screen play, directed the film, and was the main star. People are always told to write what they know something about. It is true. Vincent wrote about Buffalo, New York, where he was born and raised. He even used the same house he grew up in as well as local places in Buffalo for his scenic backgrounds. I hear that the budget for this film was only $1.5 million dollars. It proves that a good story with good writing and actors who are intensely dedicated to their craft can surpass even the most expensive movie that is lacking in telling a meaningful story.

I won't retell the story as enough has already been written about it. Vincent Gallo did a great job in his role as Billy Brown. Christina Ricci plays a wonderful low-keyed costarring role as Layla. I was pleasantly surprised to see Rosanna Arquette appear in a small role as Billy Brown's school heartthrob, Wendy Balsam. Look for her to appear in the scene at Denny's Restaurant. Anjelica Huston was wonderful as the disinterested mother, Jan Brown, who seems to have spent her life adoring the Buffalo Bills football team instead of being a loving mother. Ben Gazzara played his mean and overbearing father, Jimmy Brown.

One actor who should have received film credit is Billy's only friend, Rocky the Goon played by Kevin Corrigan. Kevin was excellent in his role. Other notable surprises in this film are appearances by Mickey Rourke, Jan-Michael Vincent, Kevin Pollak, and Alex Karras. A number of small role performers seem to be local Buffalo citizens doing small one-liner parts as the film progresses around the City of Buffalo. A good move on director Vincent Gallo's part because using local citizens in speaking roles assures that the script is believable and natural.

Regardless of the comments Vincent Gallo made about himself in his trivia section of his Internet Movie Database I think he deserves credit for bringing this film to the attention of the movie world. I would hope that Roger Ebert selects this film for one of his Overlooked Film Festival viewings. The film is that good.

This is the story of Billy, played by the writer/director Vincent Gallo, who having just been released from prison, decides he needs a woman to accompany him to visit his parents. He scrambles around the bleak streets of Buffalo looking for somewhere to take a leak, eventually finding a dance class building where, after avoiding a homosexual guy in the men's room, he meets Layla (competently played by Christina Ricci) and abducts her to take to his parents (Ben Gazzera and Anjelica Huston), who turn out to be a tad eccentric and avid Buffalo Bills fans. Billy is also on a mission to kill Scott Wood, a former kicker for the Bills football team, who missed a game-winning field goal (remember Superbowl XXV, only it was Scott Norwood, nice delicate change there) which cost Billy his freedom in a wager with a shady betting shark (brief cameo from Mickey Rourke). Billy then takes us to his local haunts, in the bowling alley where we meet the seldom seen nowadays Jan Michael Vincent in a small role, and also to a diner where he comes across an old college friend, Rosanna Arquette, who reveals some secrets about Billy. This is a strange, offbeat and funny film, the central theme being the redemption of Billy and the relationship between him and Layla, which at first is spiteful, then develops into respect and love. It is an entertaining independent film.

I am a non-fan of ex-con movies; I find Dustin Hoffman's critically acclaimed STRAIGHT TIME especially odious, for instance. Accordingly, I was about to stop watching BUFFALO '66 during the first scene. Thankfully, I kept the tape rolling to be ultimately rewarded by one of the best indie films I have ever seen. Vincent Gallo has put together an excellent character study set against the grimy, subfusc background of his home town.

Christina Ricci deserves the near-unanimous praise she has received for her eminently appealing, understated portrayal of a cooperative kidnaping victim. The spectrum of expressions that chase across her lovely heart-shaped face in the photo booth is especially memorable. This is not to take anything away from Gallo's acting though. His rhythmic, repetitious remonstrations are quite addictive, and I have since found it difficult to keep from imitating his verbal style while dealing with people at work. Ben Gazzara and Angelica Huston are also outstanding as parents in a family so dysfunctional it makes the subjects of AMERICAN BEAUTY look like something out of the Donna Reid Show. A nearly unrecognizable Mickey Rourke shows up in a great cameo as a bookie.

Fans of local color will also like BUFFALO '66. Gallo has a similar eye for his old stomping grounds that the Coen brothers did for theirs in FARGO, but Gallo's execution is more subtle and at least as rewarding.

Bottom line: just stick with it through the opening scene, and you'll find gold here.