The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

         Ye haw, the Coen Brothers are back and, in true fashion, continue to take fresh looks at different genres. For this feature, we get six authentic stories of the old west but only as the Coen Brothers can tell them.

              Claimed to be originally written for an Netflix anthology series, the film was ultimately released as a full length feature.  The stories are unrelated but contain similar themes. They are, at once, fun, suspenseful, serious, labored, humorous, boring and consistently a bit strange.  Always with a twist, the film is almost an old west version of "Black Mirror", the futuristic, unexpected anthology on Netflix. To review the film as a whole is difficult.

              The first tale is the title story starring Tim Blake Nelson as a guitar slinging, singing cowboy with a fast draw. It is definitely one of the best and a great story to begin the film. The second story stars James Franco as a bank robber who finds himself in a familiar yet surprising situation. "Meal Ticket" is the third tale starring Liam Neeson and of the six stories is probably the most bizarre. Tom Waits stars in the fourth tale and it is the only unoriginal story in the film. It is based on a story by Jack London. Mr. Waits is terrific and this is one of the best tales in the anthology. Story number five is "The Girl Who Got Rattled" and stars Zoe Kazan. This one takes a very long time to get to it's surprising end. And the last tale, "The Mortal Remains" seems to have no plot at all, just the interesting ramblings of  five distinct passengers in a stagecoach. This one features Tyne Daly, Brendan Gleeson, Saul Rubinek, Chelcie Ross, and Jonjo O'Neill.

               The acting is excellent as the casting is perfect and what you have come to expect from the Coen Brothers. The stories are very authentic in visual style, dialog and location.  The brothers are masterful filmmakers but the pace and story lines aren't always perfect and the film drags on once too often.  As it turns out, Netflix is probably the best way to view the film. If you don't like a particular story, you can fast forward to the next one or if you like, return to a favorite. On the big screen, what you appreciate the most is the cinematography, which is wonderful and breathtaking at times.