Buffalo '66
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. more..
Director: Vincent Gallo
Starring: Vincent Gallo, Christina Ricci,Ben Gazzara,Anjelica Huston, Mickey Rourke
All bets are off. For my money, Vincent Gallo wins the Triple Crown of indie filmmaking -- for writing, directing and starring in Buffalo '66.
It's all somehow both familiar and dazzling, just as Ricci's kidnapped tap student, forced to pose as the protagonist's wife for his horrifically indifferent parents, is somehow both nondescript and heartbreaking.
Alternately satirical and romantic, full of pain and humor, Buffalo '66 is a winner.
Cool, stark compositions and the occasional audacious visual trick give Buffalo '66 a memorable look even when its narrative enters the occasional uneventful stretch.
Personal and private almost to the point of self-absorption, the film is ultimately saved from neurotic narcissism by the director's self-deprecating humor and unapologetic honesty about his own dysfunction.
Best Foreign Film - English Language
British Independent Film Awards (1999)
Best Actress
Chlotrudis Awards (1999)
Vincent Gallo
Deauville Film Festival (1998)
Best Supporting Actress
Florida Film Critics Circle Awards (1999)
Best Feature
Gijón International Film Festival (1998)
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