The Independent Recommends: Film

TWO FILMS for anyone who likes their men unshaven and unhinged: the actor Vincent Gallo makes his directorial debut with Buffalo 66, in which he also stars as Billy Brown, fresh out of prison and planning to impress his parents with his new wife. Trouble is, he hasn't got one. So he kidnaps a teenage tap dancer (Christina Ricci) and orders her to play the loving wife over dinner with the folks. After a time you realise that it's only the wax in Billy's hair and the grime on his skin that are holding him together. It may be more a collection of great moments than a consistently fine film, but it's worth seeing just the same.

On release

In the contest to see who can most resemble an unmade bed, David Thewlis (above) beats Gallo by a centimetre of stubble in Divorcing Jack, in which he gives a characteristically fearless performance as an alcoholic Northern Irish journalist. The blend of comedy, political commentary and harsh violence is highly successful, but the convoluted plotting squeezes the life out of the film.

On release