The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018) ****

 

Despite knowing that this is a Coen brothers film, I was hesitant to watch it, and it's hard to exactly explain why. The title is a bit off-putting, as is the goofy-looking, cowboy-in-white on the Netflix thumbnail. Also, I was vaguely aware that it was an anthology, which somehow didn't sound appealing. Spoiler alert: I'm an idiot! This is a highly entertaining collection of short stories, with the wit and heart you would expect from a Coen brothers film, and I should have watched it 2 years ago.

The film consists of 6 unconnected short stories about life and, especially, death, in the Old West. “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” is really just the title of the first story, in which Tim Blake Nelson (who was so charming in “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”) plays Buster Scruggs, the singing gunslinger in white from the poster. It may not be the best story of the bunch, but it's easily the most entertaining, as it's a little mini-musical. One of the songs even scored an Oscar nomination. Then there's “Near Algodones,” where James Franco plays a bank robber who learns to accept the bad luck with the good, and Stephen Root demonstrates unexpected uses for cookware. In “Meal Ticket,” the darkest tale of the bunch, Liam Neeson travels around with a limbless actor who ekes out a frontier living giving dramatic recitations.

Most of the stories were written by the Coens, but two are based on other works. “All Gold Canyon,” in which Tom Waits plays a prospector in a pristine, wild canyon, is based on a Jack London story. “The Gal Who Got Rattled,” easily the most beautiful and heartbreaking story of the bunch, is an adaptation of a 1901 short story by Stewart Edward White.

The film wraps up with “The Mortal Remains,” in which a group of travelers packed into a stagecoach share their thoughts on life, love, and death. This segment feels very allegorical, and it's a good way to wrap up the collection.

In literature, a collection of short stories never feels as powerful or epic as your favorite novel, and no one is going to call this the Coen brothers' best film. Nothing here is on the level of “Fargo,” "Raising Arizona," or “Miller's Crossing.” These are great, little vignettes, however, and, since they are unconnected, well-suited to watching a couple of stories at a time, when you don't have time for a full movie. I say ignore the silly movie poster and give it a chance!

4 stars out of 5