'The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs' A Review

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is a western anthology film, the latest from the Coen Brothers. Six short start studded vignettes make up the film ranging from darkly comic, to darkly romantic, to just plain dark. Every section feels like a short film, the only thing connecting the pieces is the genre- western,  and as such, although beautiful and well acted, the film has little coherence and only a passing narrative satisfaction.

The Coen Brothers always have a remarkable cast and this is no exception- Liam Neeson, Tim Blake Nelson, Clancy Brown, Tom Waits, Stephen Root, Brendan Gleeson etc.- however they are all older white men(save for Zoe Kazan in a relatively thankless role). Not to say that any and all films need to have some element of diversity or inclusion but to get away with this kind of one-sided casting there has to be a reason and the quality of the work has to be high. The film is fine, kind of boring and derivative of the Coen Brothers previous work, worth a watch on a lazy Sunday afternoon. It is not original or interesting enough to get away with this kind of casting. The argument of "historical accuracy" officially holds no water. Narrative filmmaking is fiction therefore anything is possible. We are, and have been, saturated by the stories and performances of older white men. Take out the politics if you want the fact is diversity and inclusion makes for fresh and interesting storytelling. Don't get me wrong I love all the actors listed above but there performances and narrative impact suffer because every vignette centers around or is at least supported by one of them in such a way that they bleed together and are difficult to differentiate. The western has been a contentious genre since the beginning of it's decline from popularity and pervasiveness in the 70's. What would revitalize it, for a start, would be better more imaginative casting.

Visually, no surprise, the film is immaculate and striking. The score immersive and effective, especially paired with the actual songs in the first vignette from Nelson's singing cowboy. The problem is that ultimately the film is lazy and has no ambition. The Coen Brothers are aging and successful, the can do whatever they want with seemingly no parameters, oversight, or input and as such they can occasionally let their most lethargic ideas run slothfully wild.

A decent accompaniment to laundry folding but not much else.

Stream It.