The Ballad of Buster Scruggs: A Coen Brothers Western You Must See!
(Watch. Listen. Or Read. It’s up to you.)
Whenever I think of Joel and Ethan Coen, I think of O Brother, Where Art Thou? The film is an adaptation of The Odyssey by Homer and takes place in America during the Great Depression. Even though I haven’t read The Odyssey yet (I’m getting there!), I have always loved O Brother, Where Art Thou and the unique feel that the Coen brothers bring to their work. Like Wes Anderson, you know a Coen when you see it.
This same feeling of comfortable familiarity arose in my mind when “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” appeared on my Netflix recommendations. My husband mentioned that a friend of his had recommended it to him but stated (quite fairly) that it wasn’t for kids. So late one Saturday night after our kids were most definitely asleep, we opened Netflix and clicked play, unsure what was to greet us after the credits rolled.
I’ll say this for starters: it’s definitely a Coen.
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is not a typical Western but rather a collection of short stories (vignettes, if you will) each telling a different tale involving different people. I was surprised to see that the stories were not connected in any way. I was anticipating some kind of link or plot twist to somehow bring them all into one story but it didn’t happen. And, oddly enough, I wasn’t disappointed by that. It was almost refreshing that they are their own stand alone works that all happen to take place in the Wild American West.
The Coen style here is similar to that of O Brother, Where Art Thou in a few ways. For one thing, it’s from a book. Not a literal book in this case but the film starts with a book on a table and is opened to a new chapter to give you a new story. And the book looks legit too, like one you would have found for print in the Wild West.
Seriously, I want one.
Second, the film is saturated to give it a “long ago” look but the saturation varies based off the story being told. The first one, for example, entitled ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” that actually stars Buster Scruggs (Tim Blake Nelson) is the classic “dirty western” saturation, adding to the story of a sharp shooting and equally witty tongued cowboy while the one entitled “Meal Ticket” has a much colder, blue filter which sets you up as the viewer for a much sadder narrative. Be prepared for that one. It blew my mind.
Third, and this one is harder to explain, but every director has a look that they give to their films but the really good ones have a feel too. In The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, the feel is a mix of whimsical yet down to Earth. The costumes are beautiful and reflective of the time period but each one is unique to each character and the narrative given. Buster Scruggs is almost cartoon-y in his appearance but was placed in very plain surroundings involving gritty, unkempt people while the old woman in “The Mortal Realms” has the look and feel of a strict, stern and somewhat hoity Victorian but was a character in an almost ethereal dream like story. You look at these vignettes, you immerse yourself in the humor and the horror and you know that this is a story, that these events didn’t happen but you can still revel in them and roll over in your mind the possibilities and meaning of each tale while enjoying the authenticity that the created world brings.
Fourth, it’d be a darn shame if I didn’t mention the creative and sharp dialogue, unique to each character and story. Buster Scruggs was a genteel wordsmith, smooth and sharp as a tack while the conversations between Mr. Billy Knapp and Ms. Longabaugh felt wholesome and respectful, like two honest people just getting to know each other. One thing I appreciated most about the dialogue is that it didn’t feel like modern speech written in a past time which was an grievance I had with Anne with an E. If you are going to take the effort to create an atmosphere of yesteryear, the dialogue needs to fit or you lose the effect entirely. That being said, sometimes it isn’t what is said in the dialogue but rather what isn’t that speaks the most. I have to say that the most remarkable scenes were the ones where nothing or very little was said. “Meal Ticket” was an especially profound piece that was mostly silent, with a few focused moments of dialogue giving just enough information and leaving the rest to the scenario to fill in the rest. That takes talent and a skilled hand, ladies and gents.
I have found myself on more than one occasion impressed that Netflix Original productions have not only drawn in critical acclaim and happy audiences but that A list actors have hopped on the Netflix train too. I wasn’t at all surprised to see Tim Blake Nelson in this film but Brenden Gleeson, Liam Neeson, James Franco? Now that caught me off guard. After watching it though, I could assent that each actor was perfectly cast for their role and each person gave a performance worthy of the praise it has received. This was not a “phone-it-in-for-my-paycheck” kind of movie and the dedication from the actors really shows.
I often think myself a savvy viewer, able to spot the obvious plot twist or ending in the films I watch but that might be saying too much for me in this case as I wasn’t able to peg the ending of several tales. There is a reasonable explanation for this of course: I didn’t want to. Usually if you are trying to guess the ending of a story you are either bored and would rather MST3K your way through to the end or because you are torn up with suspense and want to find the resolution so you can yell at the idiots on the screen who didn’t figure it out before you did. In my case, it was neither. I was too involved in the story, too lost in the narrative to try and guess what was coming next. Because of this, I was shocked where I was meant to be shocked, heartbroken where heartbreak was intended and laughing (sometimes in outright surprise) when the humor made its appearance. Because of this, the 2 hours and 13 minutes of run time passed pleasantly by, leaving me satisfied yet somehow hungry for more.
I will not lie to you and tell you that The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is a light, heartfelt collection of Western tales because it most definitely is not. I can say that although it is a dark humored anthology it is still lively, vibrant in its own way and even with its moments of sorrow and some gore, it is rather beautiful. Even the sad stories have a bright spot in them and each one has an inner story to tell, a lesson to be learned, like the fairy tales of old.
With that I will end this review with this: If you loved O Brother, Where Art Thou, then you’ll love The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.
Have you seen my brothers latest review: The Curious Case of Ghost in the Shell (2017)? ‘Cause you should watch it. It’s freaking awesome.*
