Buffalo '66(1998)- User Reviews

So Gallo has vision...too bad it's a mediocre vision with delusions of grandeur. Essentially, the movie is about a disenfranchised, misogynistic loser played by Gallo....which in itself would've been an impressive feat if the real Gallo hadn't already been a psuedo-disenfranchised, misogynistic loser to start with. The "love" story is basically gross and unrealistic.....it serves primarily as a vehicle to demonstrate that Gallo doesn't have the faintest idea about how other people really work, nor does he have the capability to generate compelling characters that can draw in an audience beyond a mere voyeuristic sense.

Gallo does truly think he's a visionary genius. He isn't. He does have a great eye for imagery, but one needs more than that to make truly notable films. Gallo's work is essentially masturbatory--he's only attempting to satisfy himself in a way that only he himself can understand. (And I'm left questioning the judgment and taste of anyone who happens to be satisfied through Gallo's efforts--but to each their own....)

If you do seek genius, then you should watch some films by Monte Hellman. Hellman was a major inspiration for a young Gallo, but Hellman made films that were far more than a rehashing of neuroticized personal demons. Hellman's films have a certain combination of imagery, minimalism, and style that actually connects with audiences (beyond the mere "oh that was so weird, so it must be so cool" factor). They also, mercifully, lack the arrogance and the hubris that characterizes the works of Gallo.