American Buffalo by Stephen Farber American Buffalo, David Mamet's 21-year-old play, has by now lost much of its potency. Although this adaptation directed by Michael Corrente feels stage-bound, the main problem is the triteness of Mamet's story of tensions among a band of petty crooks. The performances by Dustin Hoffman, Dennis Franz and Sean Nelson are beautifully calibrated, but they can't bring the material to life. What did you think of this movie? Sound off in the Movie Forum.