Its two protagonists, a pair of brothers named Jamar (Ario Bayu) and Suwo (Yoshi Sudarso), have just finished working with their uncle on the Transcontinental Railroad.

Upon arriving in Indonesia, Jamar and Suwo get caught up in the struggles of a Javanese village against an evil Dutch administrator named Captain Van Trach.

[6] On 3 July 2017, actor Tio Pakusadewo first revealed details of the film to Kompas and announced that he was set to appear in it alongside the likes of Ario Bayu, Pevita Pearce, Happy Salma, Donny Damara and El Manik.

Its critical consensus reads, "It's hampered somewhat by its disappointingly familiar story, but Buffalo Boys makes up for its shortcomings with plenty of exciting action sequences.

[21] Indonesian critic Andi Baso Djaya of Lokadata stated, "Apart from fighting scenes using machetes and hand-to-hand duels that combine silat techniques with other martial arts, another unique feature is the action of Kiona, Jamar, and Suwo riding a water buffalo [...] the use of these characteristics is symbolic of marrying the very Western cowboys with the localities of the archipelago," while adding that the film's biggest flaw is its lack of character exploration.

[23] Indonesian critic Paskalis Damar of SinekDoks stated, "As an action blockbuster, this Western crawls too deep into muds of character introductions and event set-ups, despite its straightforward premise [...] the movie also often suffers from clumsy scene transition.

Calling upon both high noon shootouts and poetic martial arts precision, the transcendent actions set pieces strewn throughout Buffalo Boys are expertly staged.

"[25] Michael Sragow of Film Comment stated, "What Wiluan's movie lacks in subtlety, consistency, or depth, it makes up for in confidence, gusto, and local color, like a trip to the Javanese sultans’ burial ground and its magnificent spired ruins.

"[26] Dennis Harvey of Variety stated that "the script provides few surprises," adding that "with its superficial nods to both Hollywood and Spaghetti Western conventions, Wiluan's film isn't aiming for dramatic weight.

"[27] Roger Moore rated the film 2/4, stating "Buffalo Boys is rather tedious going in between the fights, and those action beats are spaced too far apart" and added that the "finale has the tone the entire movie should have aimed for.