The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
Director: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Starring: Tyne Daly, James Franco, Brendan Gleeson
Synopsis:
Five tales of the Old West, starting with the singing outlaw Buster Scruggs.
Impressions:
This was recommended to me by my father, who is by no means a fan of the Coen Brothers' work, but the more comedic tone of the first two segments appealed to him. Admittedly, I could've gone for an entire film dedicated to the character of Buster Scruggs, but there's some prudence in taking the anthology approach here. You get just enough for a decent little story and each one is different enough from the other in terms of tone and content that it should be fairly rewarding if you have a broad palate for film. However, if you're like my father and enjoy the comedy of the first two segments, the tone shift after that point may come as a turnoff. Each sequence is well-realized and well-performed. Especially the more tragic stories have a way of sticking with you, which is a particular talent of the Coen Brothers. If you're a fan of the Coens, Westerns in general or both, I would say this is well worth a watch.
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