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But don’t be fooled - this rare peaceful valley doesn’t stray far enough off-theme to ignore the blood and murder required of a Western fable. “All Gold Canyon” is the most visually beautiful of the shorts, filled with wide landscape shots with “no sign of man nor the handiwork of man.” The protagonist is the most honestly likable of characters, and manages to bring to life the stout ideal of patriotism that typically seems like a far-off dream in the American West. We discover the fate of the young artist at the same horrifying moment he does, hoping it will not end this way but feeling the desperation of being unable to escape. The tragedy and absurdity of the film is excruciating to watch. There is a traditional moral-story structure with a classic warning of how both our decisions and random luck combine to determine our fate.Ī showman, played by Liam Neeson, travels Western towns with a performer who is missing both arms and both legs and delivers classical orations in the utterly haunting “Meal Ticket.” A nearly unrecognizable Harry Melling - who played Dudley in the Harry Potter franchise - now plays the young amputee, speaking only when orating and acting almost entirely through facial expressions. If you’ve ever felt the need to see multiple arrows go through multiple necks, this is the short for you. “Near Algodones” is tragically ironic, but certainly no less bloody. Be prepared for spewing blood (lots of it), screams of agony and lots of tough-looking men slowly walking towards each other, clanking their spurs and itching for their guns. It breaks the fourth wall and mixes cartoon tropes with superfluous and gory violence. The first short, “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs,” is enchanting. Buster Scruggs toys with the genre with almost too much fun - these films leave more questions than they do answers and always end right when you want to hear more. They use the style and genre of Westerns as inspiration, but are never held back by the cliches of ages past.
#Ballad of buster scruggs movie#
The Coens are back with another tightly written, thought provoking and fully enjoyable movie that reflects on not only their recurring themes/patterns of violence & fantastic dialogue but also to tell the huge story of the Wild West in its most heartbreaking fashion.The shorts range from dark comedy to serious inquiries into the nature of humanity. There are a few tiny things that bothered me (would've liked a bit more of Gleeson), but these are minor concerns. The acting of the over all many performers was great as usual, with especially notable performances by Liam Neeson, Tom Waits & Tim Blake Nelson. It's remarkable at how the Coens write their dialogue - it's eventually only people talking about their lifes and out of nowhere the mood changes into complete danger and suspense. And the last story is basically only one huge dialogue.
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The fifth story was probably the most cinematic story, since it told a beautiful little tale that could've been easily explored in a regular film. While the first story is very big on comedic relief, the later chapters get really dark, especially the third having a heartbreaking and strangely poetic ending. Because make no mistake, this is a really brutal movie. They do not have anything particular in common plot wise, but thematically they all tell the huge story of the Wild West - the dark & crazy, sometimes sad side of it. Also the composed soundtrack is really fitting.Īs said, the movie is cut in six minor portions: The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, Near Aldgones, Meal Ticket, All Golds Canyon, the Gal who got Rattled & the Mortal Remains. It is beautifully shot, has some of the best cinematography of recent years and it's just a joy to watch. They created one of my all time favourite movies in The Big Lebowski (1998), and some of the best movies of their respectable decades such as the cult hit Fargo (1996) & the Neo-Noir Western No Country for Old Men (2007).Īnd now they return in 2018, together with Netflix, to present the most unique movie of the year! The Ballad of Buster Scruggs tells six individual and self contained storys in the Wild West.Īs usual, the movie looks stunning. The Coen Brothers are some of the most popular and also best movie directors currently working.