American Buffalo

R

Released Sep 13, 1996

1h 28m

Drama

List

74%

27 Reviews

Tomatometer

46%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Pawn shop owner Don (Dennis Franz) discovers that a rare coin he has just sold for next to nothing is actually worth a small fortune, so he enlists his loyal teen employee, Bobby (Sean Nelson), to help him get the item back. Unfortunately, it now sits in another store, and the men will have to stage a holdup in order to retrieve it. Don's loser pal, Teach (Dustin Hoffman), believes he can make the heist work and talks his way into joining the scheme, but Don starts to get nervous about the plan.

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Critics Consensus

It lacks the dynamism of other adaptations of his work, but American Buffalo still offers the tenacious characterizations and hard-hitting dialogue that are hallmarks of David Mamet's writing.

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Shioka O

I didn't follow after 15 min because nothing happen. Considering the fairly short running time, 1h28m, something should happen in the beginning.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

12/11/22

Full Review

Audience Member

"En attendant Godot…" It's from a theatrical piece and you can feel it. Better on stage I suppose, it gets boring at some point when you start to get the message, then the end is not unpleasant but it lacks of energy and something new that cinematography could have brought to this.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/25/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The fact that this was not off putting with as much dialogue as there was, is an achievement in and of itself. There's so much dialogue that it's almost impossible to not get lost or lose track of what it is they are talking about, but it still managed to not lose my attention. The end, however, left a lot to be desired. I can see why the critics like it, and I can see why audiences... not so much. If one watches alot of movies they'll probably enjoy it enough to give it passing marks, if they don't then they will possibly hate it.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/07/23

Full Review

Evan M

Hard to say why it works so well, but it just feels real and impactful without unnecessary complexity.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/02/23

Full Review

Bernard K

Just watch the first 15 minutes or so, you've got it. Silly, at best.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/24/20

Full Review

Audience Member

This flop is about 2 dirtbags (Donny & Teach) "talking" about stealing a coin that Donny the shop dealer SOLD to a guy that he later realized was worth more money. I don't empathize with any of the characters & it's basically an hour & 45 minutes of pure bunk that didn't ever deserve to be recorded & classified as a movie. Low-wit & poor performances from so-called cast members. Detestable!

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

01/31/23

Full Review

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Michael Corrente

Director

Dustin Hoffman

Walt 'Teach' Teacher

Dennis Franz

Don 'Donny' Dubrow

Sean Nelson

Bob

David Mamet

Writer

John Sloss

Executive Producer

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Lisa Schwarzbaum

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: B

Sep 7, 2011

Full Review

Daniel M. Kimmel

Variety

A three-character, one-set chamber piece, pic lacks the bravura moments of the film version of the playwright's Glengarry Glen Ross

Apr 29, 2005

Full Review

Globe and Mail

Rated: 3.5/4

Apr 12, 2002

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Creative Loafing

Mamet's strafing dialogue still hits its marks, but director Michael Corrente never manages to turn this into anything more than a static filmed play.

Rated: 2.5/4

Jun 11, 2015

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

Dustin Hoffman channels his Ratso Rizzo character from the 1969 Midnight Cowboy.

Rated: C+

Oct 1, 2010

Full Review

Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

Mesmerized by the trademark Mamet gutter poetry, Corrente directs unobtrusively and respectfully.

Rated: B

Jul 23, 2007

Full Review

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Synopsis

Pawn shop owner Don (Dennis Franz) discovers that a rare coin he has just sold for next to nothing is actually worth a small fortune, so he enlists his loyal teen employee, Bobby (Sean Nelson), to help him get the item back. Unfortunately, it now sits in another store, and the men will have to stage a holdup in order to retrieve it. Don's loser pal, Teach (Dustin Hoffman), believes he can make the heist work and talks his way into joining the scheme, but Don starts to get nervous about the plan.

Director: Michael Corrente
Producer: John Sloss
Screenwriter: David Mamet
Distributor: Samuel Goldwyn Company, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc.
Production Co: Punch Productions, Samuel Goldwyn Company
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 13, 1996, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 14, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $632.1K
Runtime: 1h 28m
Sound Mix: Surround

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