Where the Buffalo Roam | | Cast : | Peter Boyle, Bill Murray | | Director : | Art Linson | | Studio : | Universal Studios Ho | | Format : | Color | | Released Date : | April 25, 1980 | | DVD Released Date : | February 01, 2005 | | Language : | English (Dubbed) | | Audience Rating : | R (Restricted) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | July 16, 2005 | | Summary | Good movie, but why? | Content
 | I have been a Thompson fan for years. The first time I saw this movie I was impressed. I owned a copy of the Anchor Bay VHS anxiously waiting for a DVD release. I bought a copy of the Anchor Bay DVD as soon as I knew it existed. Later this DVD was released and I bought a copy in hopes of some bonus material - anything. I was sorely disappointed. I was hoping for more from the original studio. I can only hope for a future release for ANY sort of bonus features. I ended up selling this version, and keeping my original Anchor Bay version. I know that it has non-original music, but it is the version I know. |
| Rating | | | Date | July 05, 2005 | | Summary | Do not buy from this seller | Content
| They sold me a DVD that they did not even have to sell. I paid for the movie, and then two weeks later I got an e-mail that my order has been cancelled because they did not have the movie. If you don't have it, then why are you selling it? |
| Rating | | | Date | May 17, 2005 | | Summary | Good Cross Section of the True HST | Content
| OK, so the soundtrack was remastered and apparently the glory of the original work has disappeared, but I wasn't one of the lucky few to experience the original work. The soundtrack was still respectable although horribly mastered, but enough of that drivel.
I like this movie because it gives the viewer a snapshot of the real HST and the looniness he lived in. It resides more on the non fiction side of things as compared to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, which clearly seems to be a work of fiction (although there is no doubt he lived it). This film dips heavily into Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail '72 to draw its chief material from. It details the life of Thompson in the years between the late 60's and early 70's, seemingly at a time when he was writing for Rolling Stone (although the magazine is called "Blast" that he is writing for ).
Bill Murray gives a great performance as Thompson, and his physical mannerisms have gradually manifested themselves in my head and taken the place of Johnny Depp's performance in Fear and Loathing. He is highly believable as Thompson, and his performance seems highly underrated compared with the rest of his career.
Carl Laszlo, Esq. played By Peter Boyle obviously is Oscar Zeta Acosta, Thompson's lawyer in the late 60's and early 70's, and is in fine form as the intimidating, often crazy Latino activist and lawyer.
Overall, this is a great movie to enjoy with the proper atmosphere (hopefully with a full bowl of ice and bottle of bourbon nearby). It might not be for everyone, but any true fan of HST will have a good time with this one again and again - it is done in the true spirit of Gonzo. |
| Rating | | | Date | May 13, 2005 | | Summary | Lots of Drugs, Alcohol & "Bad Craziness" in the Nixon Era | Content
| With the recent death of 'Gonzo' journalist/writer, Hunter S. Thompson I started going through my dusty book shelves and skimming through my ragged paperbacks, enjoying his anarchic works once again. In the same time period, I was also delighted to find that my local chain store was stocking widescreen DVD editions of "Where the Buffalo Roam", the (unfairly) unheralded 1980 movie, who's subtitle reads "based on the twisted legend of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson". For anyone, who dosn't know, the good Dr. pioneered the ideal of 'Gonzo Journalism' in which the journalist not only covered and wrote stories about news and events, but actually became an active participant and the focus of the writing. Since Thompson's career came to the forefront in the 'counter-culture' sixties and the 'Me-Decade/Watergate' seventies, his adventures were fueled by a massive intake of alcohol & drugs, which were most condusive to a mental state he termed "bad craziness". The episodic film comedy, "Where the Buffalo Roam" picks and chooses passages from various Thompson works. It mainly follows Thompson (played to a T by comedian, Bill Murray) as he views with a jaundiced, journalistic eye the various adventures of his lawyer and good friend, Carl Lazlo Esq (played with gusto by Peter Boyle). As the film begins, Thompson follows his crazy, radical lawyer as he tries to work within 'the system' to protect the rights of America's young counter-culture. With 'Wild Turkey' in hand, Thompson recounts how Nixon's right wing, "law & order" establishment beats down and rebuffs Lazlo's every attempt at true justice in the courtroom. The film then jumps to 1972 as we watch Thompson hilariously cover his deranged version of America's "greatest", sporting event, The Superbowl. After much drug & alcohol intake and hotel carnage, Thompson once again meets up with Lazlo, who has now abandoned 'the system' and is convinced that true change can only come through force by a bunch of looney gun-runners and half-baked, pseudo-revolutionaries he has hooked up with. The film finally ends with Thompson's view of the infamously corosive, 1972 Presidential campaign trail. We watch as Thompson goes up against the Washinton Press Corps and the Nixon administration. In the film's most hilarious (and frightening) scene, a disguised Thompson makes a a philosphical speech in which allegorically he describes America's underclass as "the Doomed". In probably the film's only semi-serious moment, Nixon's short retort is "F**k the doomed!" I think it is a very difficult task to transfering Hunter Thompson's ideals and writings to celluloid. Yes, sure the film may also owe little bit to Gilbert Shelton's 'the Fabulously Furray Freak Bros.' and even to the Three Stooges. But I think both the script and the actors get across the point of Thompson's critical view of American culture and it's politics of the time. To tell you the truth, the film's 'Us Vs. Them' view point my be more timely then ever with the way modern politics have been unfolding in the early part of this new century! Bill Murray is simply wonerful as he seems to almost channel Hunter Thompson's personality and mannerisms. (Only once or twice do you catch him going into his usual SNL schtick.) Peter Boyle also does a great job with the inspired lunacy of his character. This film is really a wonderful comedy that perfectly mirrors a recent, but now rapidly fading part of American history. In retrospect it is a wonderful, characterization of a talented writer who inhabited and made his stamp on that era. A very funny movie! Highly recommended! |
| Rating | | | Date | April 22, 2005 | | Summary | Just Allright | Content
| Bill Murray plays a form of Hunter S. Thompson in this mediocre film. A lot of people see this after seeing "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" which sets up their reason for not liking it. These movies have no connection whatsoever besides the fact they're both inspired by the same person. In "Fear and Loathing"
the main characters are Raoul Duke and Dr.Gonzo as played by
Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro. In this movie the characters are Hunter S.Thompson and Carl Lazlo as played by Bill Murray and Peter Boyle. While "Fear and Loathing" is based on a semi-fictional book of the same name, this movie (while not mentioned) is more or less inspired by Thompsons book Fear and Loathing in America.Another factor is this film was made 17 years before "Fear and Loathing". Anyway we begin with Thompson in what appears to be his house writing a story (his deadline for it is 19 hours) and sicking his dog on a dummy of Richard Nixon. Then he's in a hospital locked up in one of the rooms when his attorney Carl Lazloshows up and then they're in a court room arguing cases for people who are accused of dealing in marijuana. The plot (if you can call it that) is a bit jumpy.
It's a bit like Thompsons writing, it's scattered and void of plot. But that's not the reason I gave it three stars, it's because the movie can be boring. It's a pretty good film overall but there are scenes where Lazlo disappears for seemingly no reason. But the movie is certainly not a waste of time, but I still recommend it. C+ |
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