Directed By – Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Starring – Tim Blake Nelson, James Franco, Liam Neeson, Zoe Kazan, Tom Watts, Tyne Daly, Brandon Gleeson.
Running Time – 132 Minutes (2 Hours 12 Minutes)
★★★✩✩
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| IMAGE VIA NETFLIX |
The Coen Brothers (Ethan and Joel) are back and have joined the Netflix revolution to not just tell one story but six tales in an anthology series of films about the American West in their unique and incomparable voice in The Ballard of Buster Scruggs.
The first chapter focused on the title character Buster Scruggs (Nelson) a sharp-shooting songster and is easily the best story of the whole film to the point I wanted the movie to be led the brilliant Nelson it has similarities to the Coen’s best film O’ Brother Where Art Thou.
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It’s wickedly funny and the songs are utter brilliance.
So on such a high, the tone changes to a slightly darker tale as in Near Algodones, a wannabe bank robber (Franco) getting his due and then some. This would be the quirkier side of the siblings, which does have funny moments and probably enjoy it more if it didn’t star Franco.
The third story is differently the darkest of the whole film as in Meal Ticket a silent Neeson is one-half of weary travelling entertainers and honestly one of the dullest things I saw at the whole festival and the point of when the quality of the anthology dropped.
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| IMAGE VIA NETFLIX |
Things did pick up in the rather sweet and hearting All Gold Canyon with a good performance by Watts as an old man hunting for gold. Meanwhile, Zoe Kazan puts in a great performance as a young lady promised love as joining a wagon train across the country in The Gal Who Got Ratted with the humour coming from the awkward interactions and a barking dog.
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| IMAGE VIA NETFLIX |
The final story, and easily the best one since The Ballard of Buster Scruggs, is the wicked funny The Mortal Remains as Daly runs judgement of his fellow strangers as they embark on their final carriage journey.
As stated this was a story that really hits as we learn more about these strangers but I’d love it more if they were side characters of a larger Buster Scruggs movie.
This movie will more likely be enjoyed by high-end movie buffs but for more casual film fans and you can see why it went to Netflix because no studio would’ve released this. Manly because it hit too many blanks.
Verdict
A great story film to start the whole thing off but sadly the quality drops from there.
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