Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Buffaloed Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf August 26, 2020

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.

Growing up fatherless in the dying town of Buffalo, New York, Peggy (Zoey Deutch) makes a decision as a child to never be poor, using her intelligence to launch multiple scams over the years, with counterfeit tickets sold at a Buffalo Bills game landing her in prison for 40 months. Fresh out of the clink, Peggy is faced with judgment from her mother, Kathy (Judy Greer), and support from her brother, J.J. (Noah Reid, “Schitt’s Creek”), soon zeroing in on the money made in debt collection, sensing a prime opportunity. Taking a job with gangster Wizz (Jai Courtney, “Suicide Squad”), Peggy learns the sneaky ways of the vocation, soon rising to the top of the ranks. However, she wants more, soon launching her own firm with misfit employees, taking business away from Wizz, who declares war on the ambitious young woman. Also caught up in the mix is Graham (Jermaine Fowler, “Sorry to Bother You”), a lawyer who engages in a sexual relationship with Peggy, but can’t accept her vocation, especially when the job becomes increasingly violent and corrupt.

There’s an explanation as to what “Buffaloed” actually means presented at the start of the feature, identifying it as a form of bullying, which is exactly the type of person Peggy is. She’s not exactly cruel, but Sacca steers her away from evil by labeling her obsessive need to make money as determination (she’s a self-described “hustler”), tracking the development of her itch to amass a fortune, which initially comes through the selling of cigarettes to her high school classmates before graduating to real felonies. Her football ticket scam lands Peggy in prison, a development she almost welcomes, handed time to bond with certain cellmates and delay responsibility, coming out the other end as a newly focused woman eager to clear away her debts and begin conquering the world. “Buffaloed” opens with a flash-forward (a dire storytelling trend), but Wexler soon finds the pace for the movie, leading with Deutch’s buzz saw performance as Peggy, who wants to devour the world, but can’t quite find her footing with respectable employment.

There’s a little bit of “The Wolf of Wall Street” in “Buffaloed,” and a dash of Adam McKay, as Peggy takes a few moments to explain how debt collection works to the audience, exposing how irresistible it becomes to opportunists and criminals. The writing doesn’t provide a journalistic understanding of the process, preferring to go a bit broad, as Wizz arrives with tacky clothes and a bad spray tan, ready to fleece the elderly and the easily spooked. The writing does hit some interesting highs with Peggy’s introduction to increasing degrees of fraud, and arranges an all-out war between debt firms, with Wizz unwilling to play nice with any competition. The features juggles Peggy’s assembly of screwball employees with the increasing depth of her troubles, creating suspenseful scenes of antagonism and one-upmanship, frying Peggy’s nerves as she strives to create something of her own.

Buffaloed Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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.

Buffaloed Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• "Getting 'Buffaloed'" (5:02, HD) is an interview with screenwriter Brian Sacca, who explores his personal history with the city of Buffalo, working to turn the community into a character for the film. Director Tanya Wexler discusses her connection to the material, growing up neara similar situation in Chicago. Star Zoey Deutch's commitment to character is celebrated, and hopes are shared that "Buffaloed" reveals something about the world of debt collection.

• "Friends & Relations" (3:03, HD) returns to Wexler, who shares her thoughts on characterization, offering a look at the production on motion as they capture a scene where Peg builds her debt collection army in an alley. Actors Jermaine Fowler and Luisa Strus also appear in interviews, sharing their feelings on character and the day's work.

• "Welcome Home" (4:22, HD) once again returns to Wexler, who shares her initial impressions of the screenplay, connecting to its message and location. Actor Noah Reid appears to explore his character. Sacca pops up to introduce a BTS moment, showcasing the creation of a dinner celebration scene. The featurette closes with a summary of the picture's lasting message.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:00, HD) is included.

Buffaloed Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"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.