“The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs”– Movie Review

This week at The 56th New York Film Festival, I attended the North American Premiere of the new comedy-drama-Western by The Coen Brothers, “The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs”. 

Synopsis

An anthology of stories about the old West in The United States of America

Story

The book “The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs” is a collection of short stories about Western life in the 1800’s.  It is comprised of a total of six chapters.

Chapter 1:  "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs" - Buster Scruggs (Tim Blake Nelson) is known for his singing just as much as he is for being a notorious gunslinger – but will he survive his most challenging duel?

Chapter 2:  "Near Algodones" - A cowboy (James Franco) tries to rob a bank – but when his plan is foiled and he’s about to be hanged, will he be saved by a tribe of marauding Indians?

Chapter 3:  "Meal Ticket" - The Impresario (Liam Neeson) travels from county to county with a poor unfortunate performer – a man who is a quadruple amputee who possesses a fantastic ability as an orator.  Together, they earn a living by having the amputee perform Shakespearean scenes and famous speeches. But when The Impresario learns of an act more popular than his own, what will become of the amputee?

Chapter 4:  "All Gold Canyon" - An old prospector (Tom Waits) finally strikes gold – but when he is confronted by a claim jumper, will he lose all of his fortune?

Chapter 5:  "The Gal Who Got Rattled” - A young woman (Zoe Kazan) joins a wagon train traversing the country with the prospect of finding a husband – but when her luck turns, will she meet the man to whom she’s been promised at the end of her journey?

Chapter 6:  "The Mortal Remains" - a group of stagecoach travelers are regaled by tales from a bounty hunter – but when their trip is over, will they have reached their final destination?

Review

In the viciously dark humor of the comedy-drama “The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs”, The Coen Brothers successfully manage to completely ruin the movie genre of the Western –assuming, of course, that it wasn’t already completely ruined prior to that with things like Mel Brooks’ “Blazing Saddles” and Seth MacFarlane’s “A Million Ways To Die In The West”.  If you met someone who wasn’t familiar with the work of The Coen Brothers and you had to give them one movie to watch that would best give an example of their style, there are quite a few from which to choose. Add to that list “The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs”, which perfectly epitomizes their wickedly twisted view of the world.

The nihilistic and existentialist quality that inhabits many movies by The Coen Brothers is abundantly present in “The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs”.  In fact, the humor is largely derived from the extreme and absurdist nature they have in this unique perspective. They – and, by extension, this film – are evil, but in the best and most entertaining way possible.  While not perfect, “The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs” will likely be regarded as one of the best motion pictures ever made by The Coen Brothers – it would not be in any way surprising if their most ardent fans regard it as their best ever. 

Where the film falters is in its length – in a little over two hours, it goes on a bit too long.  This is because the sixth and final chapter of the movie appears to have been tacked on at the end as if an afterthought; it seems an under-developed idea and pretty much goes nowhere with very little payoff and not much of a point to the story.  Also, the fact that it takes place almost entirely inside a stagecoach during a long ride creates something of a claustrophobic quality that may make viewers want to squirm even more than merely their impatience would. A better choice probably would have been to keep it at five chapters and re-order the segments.