Blu-ray Review: Where The Buffalo Roam

I wish Hunter S. Thompson were alive now to write about the current political climate in our country. His book Fear And Loathing: On The Campaign Trail ’72 is what initially got me interested in politics back in my early twenties (and is the book that informed me that I’d been born the day of the New Hampshire primary). This book is also one of the sources of inspiration for the 1980 film Where The Buffalo Roam, which stars Bill Murray as Hunter S. Thompson, and Peter Boyle as Oscar Zeta Acosta (here named Carl Lazlo) (though the main source is a piece that Thompson wrote about Acosta). I’ve always enjoyed this film, even in its slightly screwed up VHS version. And now Shout! Factory, as part of its Shout Select series, has released a special Blu-ray edition that restores the original soundtrack (something lacking in that VHS edition, as well as earlier DVD versions). I can’t imagine a better time to revisit this movie, when our entire nation is filled with fear and loathing.

The film opens with a rendition of “Home On The Range” sung by Neil Young (a song which was included in earlier home video releases). And then we meet Hunter S. Thompson, who as usual is working against a looming deadline. He is surrounded by elements of his work, including a bat hanging overhead and a life-size Nixon doll with a Grateful Dead Skull and Roses T-shirt. He is writing about Lazlo, and the film then takes us back to 1968 in San Francisco, where Thompson has checked himself into a hospital to do some writing and to enjoy a nurse’s company. His lawyer Lazlo comes to the rescue, and soon both Thompson and we are treated to seeing this lawyer in action. Peter Boyle, as always, delivers a good performance. (That scene also includes Craig T. Nelson as a cop who thinks a pack of cigarettes might contain a bomb.)

The movie then moves to Los Angeles in 1972, as Thompson is assigned to cover the Super Bowl. Yes, the movie is episodic, something which bothered critics at the time of its release, but which never frustrated me. Before the game, Lazlo shows up in a Nixon mask, saying, “I am the president of the United States and I can do anything I want.” Hey, did Donald Trump see this film and take that line to heart? He certainly seems to have some affinity for Nixon. Well, Lazlo pulls Thompson off that assignment to take him on a much weirder one. But my favorite part of this film is the 1972 campaign trail material. This section features a wonderful performance by Rene Auberjonois as another journalist caught on a short leg of the campaign with Thompson. “It’s my turn to fly,” indeed. Also, Mark Metcalf, whom you’ll recall from his performance in Animal House (which he then recreated for a famous Twisted Sister video), plays Dooley, Thompson’s adversary. The scene where Hunter S. Thompson has an unlikely meeting with Nixon is great.

At the end of the film, Thompson says, “It still hasn’t gotten weird enough for me” (a line that often pops in my head when things get strange). And again, I wish Hunter S. Thompson were alive today. If he were, might he say things have gotten weird enough? Or perhaps even too weird?

Special Features

This Blu-ray edition includes Inventing The Buffalo: A Look Back With John Kaye, an interview with screenwriter John Kaye. He talks about how Universal originally wanted to do a film version of Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas, but had problems getting the rights to the book. John Kaye at that time read a piece Hunter S. Thompson wrote about Oscar Acosta, and thought that would make a better film anyway. Kaye is candid when talking about the time he spent with Thompson in preparation for the project, and about the film’s reception across the country. He also tells a wild anecdote concerning Hunter S. Thompson and Dennis Murphy. This featurette is approximately forty-two minutes.

The Blu-ray also includes the film’s theatrical trailer.

Where The Buffalo Roam was directed by Art Linson, and was released on Blu-ray through Shout! Factory on June 6, 2017.