A Reel Review: THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS

One of the rarest styles of movies nowadays is the anthology;which is a movie consisting of several different stories, or short films…often tied together by a common theme or premise. The newest film from Joel and Ethan Coen, THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS, embraces that style with the perfect setting: the Old West. 

The Old West has always been, and will continue to be a source of great storytelling; after all, it was in the West where those campfire stories became famous. BUSTER SCRUGGS, which was originally intended to be a series, is based on short stories written by the Coens over a period of 20 to 25 years, with differing moods and subjects, and embraces the more famous and romantic elements of the Western. There are six chapters, and here’s how they rode down the trail…

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

Buster Scruggs (Tim Blake Nelson), is a cheerful singing cowboy who speaks to the audience and travels the plains in search of a song and a good time, while showing off his impressing gunfighting skills…and meets his match in a dusty town. This opening sequence is a real charmer; with Nelson displaying some great singing chops and comedic timing. The editing and fighting is very sharp, and the ending is hilarious. 

Near Algodones

A young cowboy (James Franco), finds himself at the end of a noose after a failed bank robbery. This chapter is short and sweet, and has an impressive battle with an Indian war-party. It’s a fun ride with a tragic, yet sweet ending. 

Meal Ticket

An aging impresario (Liam Neeson), and his quadruple-amputee performance artist (Harry Melling), travel from town to town where the artist recites classics from the Bible, Shakespeare, and Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. It’s a hard life for both of them for the sake of their art, and when Neeson’s character finds a better way to make a living, he’s left with a hard choice to make; sacrifice the art for coin. It’s an interesting, and sneaky statement on modern Hollywood. 

All Gold Canyon

A grizzled prospector (Tom Waits), arrives in a pristine canyon in search of gold. This one is 99.9% a one-man show by Waits, who goes through the tedious, boring, and backbreaking task of digging and shifting for gold specks. Waits is tremendous, and a great twist towards the end makes this chapter perhaps the best of the lot. 

The Gal who got Rattled

A young woman (Zoe Kazan), is on a wagon train to Oregon when her brother (Jefferson Mays), passes away and leaves her future uncertain, only to start a courtship with the wagon train’s lead cowboy (Bill Heck). This chapter is a dialogue-heavy story, with characters just conversing their way down the endless trail. It does have a shock of an ending though, inspired by any one of the best Greek tragedies. 

The Mortal Remains

Five people (Tyne Daly, Brendan Gleeson, Jonjo O’Neill, Saul Rubinek, Chelcie Ross), are in a mysterious carriage ride with a body on the roof. This chapter is also dialogue heavy with not much happening, and the identity of two of the passengers makes one wonder if the five souls on board are actually just…souls on their way to a final destination. The best part of this chapter is the lighting, which beautifully changes from sunset to darkness as the ride goes on. The weakest of all the chapters although it is wonderfully acted. 

Overall, THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS feels like the Coens just having fun with the Old West genre; heavily inspired by the old TV serials that they grew up with and found their first inspirations from. It’s a passion project and it shows, and that’s not a bad thing. The six chapters don’t have much in common with no recurring characters or places, and the one theme that is common is hard to catch; the ending feels like it could have used some sort of stronger wraparound or bookend. It’s still very much worth a watch, as it is very well crafted and acted, and the score by Carter Burwell (who also scored the Western TRUE GRIT for the Coens), is excellent. The Old West hasn’t been this much fun in a long time. 

BOTTOM LINE: See it