Penned, directed by and starring Gallo (of Palookaville fame), Buffalo 66 is maverick indie movie-making of the highest order, boasting a startling performance from Christina Ricci. She plays a tarty youngster who's kidnapped by ex-con Gallo and subversive comedy ensues, when kidnapper and victim have to play husband and wife for his parents (Gazzara and Huston). Ricci's blossoming desire for her captor is also as touching as it is unusual.
As an actor in his own comedy-drama, Gallo is an edgy bag of nerves; as a writer he comes up with snappy dialogue and great plot twists; as a director, he works wonders on a miniscule budget, with flashbacks that whizz into the frame like tiny TV screens and images perfectly capturing America's underbelly in all its seedy glory.
