Vincent Gallo's magnum opus, Buffalo 66, is without a doubt an inspiring piece of work. Not only does it have some very talented actors in its scope (such as Angelica Houston, Christina Ricci in her typecast breaking role, and Ben Gazzara), it also has an interesting soundtrack, which consists only of Gallo's own compositions, his father singing "Fools Rush In", "Moonchild" by King Crimson, and "Heart of the Sunrise" by Yes. It's not exactly the ideal soundtrack for a film set in Buffalo, New York, but it works quite well. The plot of the film has Billy Brown (played by Gallo himself) and his kidnapped "girlfriend" (Ricci) making a brief, but emotionally intense visit to his parent's house to let them know how he's been doing over the years. This consists mostly of lies, as he has really been in jail for 4 years for losing a bet.
After the stop, Gallo sets out for a revenge like no other. But when Ricci really does fall in love with him, can he really pull through?
This film is the ultimate proof that you can do magic without big, fancy, special effects and a star-strutted cast. This also proves that Heart of the Sunrise isn't the most useless Yes song ever written, as the dramatic climax ends with the song and a slow-motion action sequence involving a gun, booze, strippers, and a hell of a lot of sweat. |
