6.8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
In the underworld of debt-collecting, homegrown hustler Peg Dahl will do anything to escape Buffalo, NY.
Starring: Zoey Deutch, Jai Courtney, Judy Greer, Jermaine Fowler, Noah ReidDrama | Insignificant |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English SDH, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Zoey Deutch deserves a lot of credit for trying to do something with her acting career in recent years. She’s worked in teen cinema and romantic comedies, but with last year’s “Zombieland: Double Tap,” Deutch went full-tilt silly, exposing impressive timing and a sense of adventure when it came time to bring weirdness to a somewhat stale feature. She’s back in “Buffaloed,” which supplies her with a true acting challenge, tasked with portraying an absolutely manic human being while also being attentive to the quirks of Brian Sacca’s screenplay, which plays around in the sobering world of debt collection. “Buffaloed” is amusing, and director Tanya Wexler gives it an appealing velocity, rarely slowing down with skin-crawling displays of predatory criminal behavior. And she has Deutch, who gives the part her all, submitting her finest performance to date, keeping characterization compelling and mischief spinning at top speed as she endeavors to embody a modern take on the American Dream.
The AVC encoded image (2.39:1 aspect ratio) presentation delivers a clear look at the frame particulars of "Buffaloed." Crisp facial surfaces are plentiful here, capturing age superbly, but also wear and tear as the lead character is hit from all sides by life. Interiors are open for study, highlighting strange decorative additions to households and barscapes, and exteriors retain dimension, offering a sense of neighborhood life. Costuming is fibrous, with cheap suits and nylon athletic wear common, along with thicker prison uniforms. Colors are appreciable throughout the viewing experience, with the production doing well with primaries, capturing interior lighting and clothing choices with consistent hues, while a scene of blood spillage retains a deep red. Buffalo Bills blue is vivid. Greenery is precise, and skintones are natural and even unnatural with orange spray tans. Delineation is satisfactory. Some mild banding is detected.
The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix handles with authority, delivering crisp dialogue exchanges that secure strong accent work from the cast, protecting intended extremity. Scoring cues are supportive with distinct instrumentation, and soundtrack cuts provide some low-end thump. Surrounds are active with atmospherics, dealing with tight offices space filled with employee chatter and ringing phones. Exteriors communicate a feel for outdoor life and stadium bustle.
"Buffaloed" works as a runaway train of bad ideas, but Sacca doesn't trust the inherent cinematic appeal of a troubled character engaging in bad business, and the film eventually tries to redeem her with a boyfriend in Graham. Moral clarity is welcome, but the writing goes a little too far, turning Peggy into a Robin Hood-type instead of riding her toxic decline to its natural conclusion. "Buffaloed" pulls a few of its punches to remain likable, but such fear doesn't torpedo the effort, which stays alert thanks to Deutch's command of nervous energy, cultural touches (including a religious-style following of the Buffalo Bills and heated debates about chicken wings), and an approachable comprehension of debt collection and its insidious ways.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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