American Buffalo

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American Buffalo

R

1996

1h 28m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

69%

Tomatometer

26 Reviews

45%

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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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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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

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Because the film never really brings to life its inner secrets, it seems leisurely, and toward the end, it seems long.

Rated: 2.5/4

Jan 1, 2000

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...predominantly comes off as a persistently lackluster endeavor that confirms some plays just aren’t suited to the silver screen.

Rated: 2/4

Oct 2, 2025

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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

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

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

Rated: C+

Oct 1, 2010

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Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

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

Rated: B

Jul 23, 2007

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alan g

Waste of David Mamet. Godot it is not. Dustbin Hoffman is his usual horrible self. He is a long wayfrom "the graduate".

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

12/20/24

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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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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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