The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs (2018)
Dir. Joel Coen, Ethan Coen / Dur. 132 mins
In A Nutshell:- The Coen Brothers are back with a Western-themed anthology films covering six thematically linked but tonally different tales of the Wild West.
The Good:- Originally conceived as a six part series for Netflix and now retooled into a single theatrical theatre, Buster Scruggs gives you the best of all worlds from the Coens, running the gamut from fantasy-tinged screwball comedy musical (the eponymous “The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs” which has a tinge of Hudsucker Proxy about it) through to the grittier drama with the limited character dialogue (although it does contain many monologues) of “Meal Ticket”. Cast-wise, being an anthology has given the opportunity to throw a lot of names in there - Tim Blake Nelson, James Franco, Liam Neeson, Tyne Daly and an almost unrecognisable Tom Waits to name a few - all of him are well-suited to their particular tale. Thematically, the spectre of death looms heavy over all the tales and is addressed in different ways.
The Bad:- There’s a slightly problematic depiction of Native Americans, I would say. The film is very much a homage to Westerns of the past as much as it is just the Coen Brothers doing their own thing but this felt pretty out of place as a depiction in modern times.
The Verdict:- Going down the anthology route definitely paid off - none of the stories were strong enough to have carried a feature on their own but all fit nicely into an anthology structure and, while thematically speaking the spectre of death may loom large over each of them, the differences in tone and style (form comedy through to gothic horror by the end) are stop it from feeling too dour or oppressive overall. Conversely, the format probably prevents it from being one of their all time greats but it’s still top notch Coen entertainment.
Festival Tidbit:- Tim Blake Nelson spent around five months learning to twirl a gun and play a guitar while riding a horse for his role. Plus the Coen Brothers were there! Very excited about getting to see them in person and hear them talk about the film.
Next Time:- A London-based for the London Film Festival. Seems fitting, really.
No comments:
Post a Comment