Film Review - The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)

Perhaps the most unique of the Coen Brothers filmography, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is unlike anything else the beloved writing and directing duo have made before while still retaining what makes them great. It makes new territory for them, not just in that it's a Netflix film and, to the dismay of Quentin Tarantino, their first film shot digitally rather than on film, but it's also an anthology film, taking six different stories set in the west in which people die, a lot.

Being an anthology film is both the high and low point of the film. It's to its advantage since it has multiple stories as it creates for a great sense of rewatchability, but also makes for a gap of dissatisfaction. Not that any of the stories are bad, but as with films of this nature, some just aren't as good as the others for one reason or another, and just leaves a bit of a desire to see more be done with it. However, that rewatchability prevails here, as each story is still quite good.

It opens and ends with the two best stories of the bunch, with Tim Blake Nelson giving a hilarious and quotable performance that is easily his best in the first namesake story, and Mortal Remains featuring some of the best writing the Coens have ever put to screen. But this isn't to discredit the other four, with Tom Waits absolutely killing as a prospector in All Gold Canyon, The Gal Who Got Rattled offering a slow-paced but rather compelling look at social-discomfort, and the bizarre but truly fascinating Meal Ticket giving a limbless Dudley Dursley his time to shine (no, seriously). Even Near Algodones, maybe the weakest of the bunch, gives an enjoyable perspective on fairness, and who can ever forget a line like "PAN SHOT"?

And throughout each, the western aesthetic shines, with great sets and costumes to boot and a simply wonderful score from Carter Burwell to suit the mood. And although the digital cinematography as previously mentioned does show a bit too much at times, for the most part it beautifully captures the nature of each segment.

But the handling of each message behind the stories is what makes The Ballad of Buster Scruggs shine. Each one is has its own theme relating in some way to death and it tells of it in humorous, endearing, and heartfelt ways that makes it effective and endearing. It helps make it as memorable as it is, and gives for more to reflect on as any film from the Coens does.

This may not be the most consistent Coen Brothers film, but it is easily one of their most memorable for the characters and storytelling that it presents. It's by far one the best films Netflix has distributed, and it left me 99% satisfied... give me John Goodman and we'll discuss that other 1%.

Final Grade: A-