You can almost feel the Coen brothers in their writing room. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is far from their most polished work, but it's a masterclass in screenwriting and a damn fun way to spend two hours.
"The Ballad of Buster Scruggs" is just the opening salvo here, an optimistic and gleefully violent short starring Tim Blake Nelson, Willie Watson, and Clancy Brown. This film, you see, is an anthology. Collected here in a lovely book that includes "Other Tales of the Wild West" are five additional stories that explore various elements of misadventure on the frontier. Scruggs is probably my favorite, as Nelson's quirky comedy is just so damn infectious, but each segment has its particular charms of beauty, humor, and violence. The other tales include (in order of my preference):
"The Mortal Remains" -- five strangers (including Tyne Daly and Brendan Gleeson) share a nighttime stagecoach ride to an uncertain destination, uncomfortably discussing differing philosophies. Features bounty hunters and magnificent dialogue.
"Meal Ticket" -- a manager (Liam Neeson) struggles to find a paying audience for his traveling show: an orator (Harry Melling) with no arms or legs who recites famous speeches from memory. Features a chicken that can count.
"Near Algodones" -- a cowboy (James Franco) robs a bank and faces perpetual death, having underestimated the elderly banker (Stephen Root) and vigilante posse (Ralph Ineson). Features a Comanche raiding party and scalping.
"All Gold Canyon" -- an old prospector (Tom Waits) hunts for gold in an Edenic valley, unaware that he is being watched by nature and a criminal. Features gorgeous photography.
"The Gal Who Got Rattled" -- Alice (Zoe Kazan) travels on the Oregon Trail to find a new life; after escaping a prearranged marriage, she learns to find love (Bill Heck) and take control of her own life to the very end. Features a dog and surprisingly moving romance.
While I expected a more satirical view of the Wild West, I'm far more impressed with the film as it is. Satire is useful, but it's been done in this context and not often successfully. But this film is never predictable; rather like a miniseries, we jump between episodes just when they begin to lose steam. It's some of the most creative world-building we've seen from the duo yet. Ultimately, it's a delicious excuse to view the world from the Coens' unique perspective: bizarre, macabre, violent, and with more genuine wit than you could kick your spurs at.
"The Ballad of Buster Scruggs" is just the opening salvo here, an optimistic and gleefully violent short starring Tim Blake Nelson, Willie Watson, and Clancy Brown. This film, you see, is an anthology. Collected here in a lovely book that includes "Other Tales of the Wild West" are five additional stories that explore various elements of misadventure on the frontier. Scruggs is probably my favorite, as Nelson's quirky comedy is just so damn infectious, but each segment has its particular charms of beauty, humor, and violence. The other tales include (in order of my preference):
"The Mortal Remains" -- five strangers (including Tyne Daly and Brendan Gleeson) share a nighttime stagecoach ride to an uncertain destination, uncomfortably discussing differing philosophies. Features bounty hunters and magnificent dialogue.
"Meal Ticket" -- a manager (Liam Neeson) struggles to find a paying audience for his traveling show: an orator (Harry Melling) with no arms or legs who recites famous speeches from memory. Features a chicken that can count.
"Near Algodones" -- a cowboy (James Franco) robs a bank and faces perpetual death, having underestimated the elderly banker (Stephen Root) and vigilante posse (Ralph Ineson). Features a Comanche raiding party and scalping.
"All Gold Canyon" -- an old prospector (Tom Waits) hunts for gold in an Edenic valley, unaware that he is being watched by nature and a criminal. Features gorgeous photography.
"The Gal Who Got Rattled" -- Alice (Zoe Kazan) travels on the Oregon Trail to find a new life; after escaping a prearranged marriage, she learns to find love (Bill Heck) and take control of her own life to the very end. Features a dog and surprisingly moving romance.
While I expected a more satirical view of the Wild West, I'm far more impressed with the film as it is. Satire is useful, but it's been done in this context and not often successfully. But this film is never predictable; rather like a miniseries, we jump between episodes just when they begin to lose steam. It's some of the most creative world-building we've seen from the duo yet. Ultimately, it's a delicious excuse to view the world from the Coens' unique perspective: bizarre, macabre, violent, and with more genuine wit than you could kick your spurs at.
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