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Where the Buffalo Roam (1980) - Blu-ray Review

2 beersI've never really been able to get on board with this off-the-wall comedy.  I love me some Bill Murray and Peter Doyle, they are two actors that do comedy well.  I also celebrate all of Hunter S. Thompson's writings.  Hell, you should see my bookcases; the dog-eared pages in his authored books, too!  I just can't seem to ever get what producer Art Linson and John Kaye, the director and the writer of this messy flick, were shoveling in their version of Thompson's twisted world, Where the Buffalo Roam.  Even Shout Select's new HD release of the movie can't salvage what should have been a no-brainer for me.  

Based on Dr. Hunter S. Thompson’s articles describing his relationship with (and eventual search for) activist Oscar Zeta Acosta (specifically "The Banshee Screams for Buffalo Meat" and "Strange Rumblings in Aztlan") Where the Buffalo Roam is the first attempt to get the weird and wonky world of Thompson’s Gonzo journalism on the silver screen.  Of the three feature films highlighting Thompson’s escapades, Where the Buffalo Roam is easily the weakest as it attempts to normalize the inherent weirdness of the scene. 

Sloppy to the very end, the film refuses to have a visual competence to any of its 100-minutes.  Even Shout Select’s special deluxe handling of the movie’s blu-ray debut can’t save it from itself.  It operates solely to entertain the curious.  While Where the Buffalo Roam has developed a cult following over the years since its original release, the movie and its vibes continues to be for a select few.  Fans will be interested to know, though, that Shout Select’s release restores ALL the music that was famously axed from the movie when originally released for home viewing.

Where the Buffalo Roam, starring Bill Murray as Thompson and Peter Boyle as his super socialist, super weird coked-out attorney/alter ego Carl Lazlo, Esq, is not without its moments, but its detached screenplay is built around era-friendly vignettes and could care less about telling a solid story.   It’s an extended look at Hunter’s relationship with his lawyer, who eventually went missing aboard a boat loaded with cocaine, and not much of anything else. 

With Nixon in the wings, there’s plenty of moments that COULD HAVE BEEN awesome, but – whether it was director/producer Art Linson’s lack of directorial style or John Kaye’s “not weird enough for me” screenplay – the film just stalls and sputters until Neil Young’s electric guitar kicks off the end credits.  Murray mumbles his way through one political antic after another and Boyle is believably left of center, but the film just lacks a spine.  The soundtrack – full of CCR, Dylan, and The Temptations – makes us wish to be along for the ride, but little else does. 

Unfortunately, Where the Buffalo Roam is just an unfocused attempt at making Thompson more accessible to the general public.  With Lazlo pissing off the rich and powerful and Thompson ducking one deadline after another, the two find themselves involved with smuggling weapons to a small band of freedom fighters instead of covering the Super Bowl.  Thompson’s fame grows and grows and contact with Lazlo becomes a rarity.  Thompson assumes his silence is due to his death.

Soon enough, Thompson makes his way into election history as he covers the 1972 presidential campaign.  He’s a hit on college campuses and comes face to face with Nixon himself, with a fictional bathroom encounter in which Thompson strips down and starts ranting about screwheads and the less fortunate.  Another chance encounter with Lazlo follows, but it’s all so haphazard that impact blows away right there on the tarmac.

Co-starring Bruno Kirby and René Auberjonois in a memorable performance as a Washington Post journalist stuck on the same plane as Thompson, Where the Buffalo Roam is simply all over the place.  There’s no path it follows, yet it goes nowhere fast.  Not even Murray’s dedication to the role – one he would not shake even when the cameras stopped rolling – can’t save the momentum in this farce. 

It features a rocking soundtrack produced by Neil Young, who sings “Home on the Range” during the opening moments of the film.  Unfortunately, there’s just not much else to the film, although I have heard (and read in several books) that the behind the scenes shenanigans – including the director’s four-month long filmmaking training and Thompson’s regular behind-the-scenes visits – were quite memorable … and deadly.

Where the Buffalo Roam remains a mess of a movie.  It is; however, a nice side trip for Murray and Thompson enthusiasts.

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Where the Buffalo Roam (1980) - Blu-ray Review

MPAA Rating: R.
Runtime:
96 mins
Director
: Art Linson
Writer:
John Kaye
Cast:
Peter Boyle, Bill Murray, Bruno Kirby
Genre
: Comedy | Biography
Tagline:
I hate to advocate weird chemicals, alcohol, violence or insanity to anyone... but they've always worked for me.
Memorable Movie Quote: "Like a lot of people thought I was dead but, uh... hey you know you don't write any postcards when you're on the road to self-discovery."
Theatrical Distributor:
Universal Pictures
Official Site:
Release Date:
April 25, 1980
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
June 6, 2017
Synopsis: Comic star Bill Murray is at his wildest as America's leading "Gonzo" journalist, Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, the legendary underground reporter whose passion for writing was second only to his love of weird chemicals, alcohol, violence and insanity. Along with best friend (Peter Boyle), Murray offers a manic look back at the Sixties and Seventies as an eyewitness to everything from a free-for-all San Francisco drug trial to a one-on-one bathroom interview with then Presidential candidate Richard Nixon. This off-the-wall comedy also boasts a musical score by rock superstar Neil Young.

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Where the Buffalo Roam (1980) - Blu-ray Review

Blu-ray

Blu-ray Details:

Home Video Distributor: Shout Factory
Available on Blu-ray
- June 6, 2017
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles
: English
Audio:
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; single disc
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A

Shout Select presents Where the Buffalo Roam on 1080p, restoring all the music cues that were previously taken out.  The visual upgrade is solid, returning color to much of the locales and defining shadows once again.  The 1.85:1 aspect ratio preserves the original theatrical experience and, with a bold color palette, highlights a rich color palette.  Backgrounds – especially in Thompson’s Colorado cabin – are detailed and explicit.  The sound – presented here in a rich DTS-HD Master Audio Stereo track – operates nicely to make this debut of a cult title in HD a fun time.

Supplements:

Commentary:

  • None

Special Features:

There is a 40-minute interview with the film’s screenwriter, John Kaye, is interesting for fans of Thompson’s and Murray’s to listen to.  Not many secrets are shared, but the long and strange listen is worthy of inclusion.  There is also a reversible sleeve with new and old cover art.

  • Inventing The Buffalo: An Interview with Screenwriter John Kaye (40 min)
  • Original Trailer

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Where the Buffalo Roam (1980) - Blu-ray Review

 

 

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