It’s rather difficult for a six-part anthology to be effective. But if anyone could do it, it would be Joel and Ethan Coen. And execute, they do.
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, a film comprised of six stories, each dealing with a different aspect of life in the Old West, is the perfect made-for-Netflix film. If one of the stories doesn’t land, you can either fast-forward through it or entertain yourself until the next one. Each story revolves around a certain human virtue or vice, including greed, arrogance and bravery, to name a few. Most are effective, but a few of them didn’t do it for me. But again: that’s where the beauty of this being on Netflix came into play, as I had no trouble finding ways to entertain myself during Impresario’s (Liam Neeson) segment and Cowboy’s (James Franco) segment. Franco definitely feels miscast. He certainly was an unorthodox cowboy, and I just was not a fan of him in this role. I felt the same way about Neeson.
That said, the stories that did work hit it out of the park. Led by Alice Longabaugh (Zoe Kazan) and the Prospector (Tom Waits), these segments hooked me almost instantly. The Prospector segment in particular was gripping and emotionally powerful. The story opens with a 5-minute-plus silent section reminiscent of the opening of There Will Be Blood, and it leads to what is undoubtedly the best moment of the entire film.
I also think that, in terms of accessibility, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is as good of an entry as any to give the Coen Brothers a go if you haven’t seen any of their films outside of something like No Country for Old Men. While a few of the stories are heavy in Coen-isms (particularly the Ballad of Buster Scruggs itself, starring Tim Blake Nelson as Scruggs) the more gripping stories are also the ones that don’t feel riddled with their footprints.
In short, there’s something here for everyone, and given that you can watch it from the comfort of your couch right now, there’s no reason not to take a chance on it, regardless of your pre-existing feelings on the Coen Brothers. Don’t miss it!
