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American Buffalo

Play trailer Poster for American Buffalo R Released Sep 13, 1996 1h 28m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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74% Tomatometer 27 Reviews 46% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
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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American Buffalo

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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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Critics Reviews

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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 Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (66) audience reviews
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 Read all reviews
American Buffalo

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American Buffalo

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Movie Info

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
Gregory Mosher
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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