The Coen Brothers are some of the most famous directors of their era and perhaps the most famous directorial duo in cinema. It is safe to say that any work containing Miller’s Crossing, Fargo, The Big LebowskiAnd Old people don’t belong here designed for history books, and respect for it has become a minimum requirement for anyone interested in cinema. So the cinephile world was understandably shocked when it was announced that The tragedy of Macbeth only Joel Coen will preside, and his brother Ethan was completely absent from the hearing. Since then, the Coens have continued on that independent trajectory, and Ethan is currently in post-production on a road comedy film. Dolls for departuresequel to his 2022 documentary Jerry Lee Lewis: Problems in the head (neither of them involved Joel). You don’t have to look far to hear reunion rumors, but as the years roll on without these rumors being confirmed, the internet finds itself moving towards the Coen Brothers-inspired grief acceptance stage. At least we still have The Ballad of Buster Scruggs to remind us that the good times never end.
“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” is taken from every corner of the Coen brothers’ filmography
IN many respects, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs it’s the perfect embodiment of the Coen brothers’ career. All the characteristics associated with their films are present here: genre hybridization, dark humor, impeccable dialogue, in-depth exploration of American myths that is critical and dreamy in equal measure, all portrayed with the delightful combination of nihilism and absurdism that only these Minnesota natives can do. The reason the film achieves this comes down to its anthological structure bringing together six vignettes to explore the full range of the American frontier. While these storylines share some degree of thematic overlap, there are no narrative connections, allowing the Coens to jump between the eclectic array of styles and moods they see in every corner of their filmography. A greatest hits collection of thirty-four years of amazing films? What’s not to love?
While the release of a new Coen brothers film always attracts attention, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs did so with an underlying sense of cautious concern. Yes, it was critically acclaimed and performed quite well at festivals (notably winning Best Screenplay at the Venice Film Festival), but no one talked about it without mentioning the unusual financing and distribution choice the Coens chose - Netflix. While the term “Netflix Original Movie” is now familiar to anyone who watches films, back in the late 2010s it still contained all of the derogatory terms once applied to “direct to DVD”, with a number of industry vehemently opposed to the popularization streaming services before some global pandemic brought matters to a swift conclusion.
In this regard, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs was a milestone for a company that boasts an unprecedented level of top-notch talent that will help turn Netflix into a paradise for auteur films disillusioned with Hollywood. It was this mindset that caused the Coens to not even bother to pitch their script to major studios given the declining interest in art-driven mid-budget films, and their production company Annapurna Pictures instead struck a deal with Netflix shortly after the film’s release. the wheels were in motion. While the brothers expressed concerns about its limited theatrical window (frequent during the period, which eventually convinced Netflix to accept wider releases), their passion for telling these stories eventually won out… and how grateful Netflix must have been. for that. The film proved important in cementing their place in the wider filmmaking landscape, paving the way for such triumphs as Roma And Irishman. It’s only fitting that it’s the Coens - never a trendsetter - who will help lay the groundwork for his radical new method of filmmaking.
Each segment has a unique tone, ensuring there is something for everyone
But enough behind the scenes, what about the film itself? Well, that’s all you’d expect from something that claims to be “written, produced and directed by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen” - it’s damn good. The limited running time of each vignette prevents any of them from being true Coen Brothers masterpieces, but together they make for a fascinating excursion into the Wild West that reminds us why we love these eccentric filmmakers. Take, for example, the introductory short film of the same name, in which the always cheerful Tim Blake Nelson as the titular Buster Scruggs, the happy, laughing cowboy who loves a good song as much as he loves a good gunfight. It’s the most cartoonish thing the Coens have ever done, and while its protagonist’s comedic antics are tiring in a feature-length movie, they’re hours of fun in this small portion. Curiously, Nelson was offered the role as early as 2002, shortly after he completed work on his other Coen Brothers film. Oh brother, where are you? Long ponder over the sixteen pages of the script, and the question arises whether this build-up is not the source of his character’s boundless energy.
The following segments use interludes (with varying degrees of pressure) on the film’s apparent attempts at slapstick humor, but as is often the case with the Coen brothers, it remains a stubbornly stubborn undercurrent. The second story “Near Algodon” is a great example of this. James Franco the unlucky robber is entangled in a web of missteps and misfortunes, which would be tragic if it were not so ridiculous. He stinks with Fargo-esc gallows humor - something that also refers to the decidedly darker Girl Who Was Confused, where Zoe Kazan the harmless Alice Longabaugh learns about the destructive power of chance in a world where people who were fine one morning may be dead the next morning. This sequence is by far the longest, its running time being closer to an episode of the TV show (which The Ballad of Buster Scruggs was erroneously announced when it was first revealed). So it gets in the way of an otherwise brisk pace, but its placement as the film’s penultimate story helps undo the damage.
But anthology films work best with vivid thinking, and the Coens are sure to excel at that. For example, “Ticket to Meal” is a very harsh case that is unlikely to involve a team Liam Neeson And Harry Melling as a pair of itinerant showmen whose partnership is built on such fragile foundations that it will inevitably crumble and burn before the credits roll. The humor here is incredibly dark, feels akin to Yorgos Lanthimos movie through McCabe and Mrs. Miller (a combination that no one knew was needed until it was received). On the other hand, we have “All Gold Canyon”, an amazing romp featuring Tom Waits (spends time in his life as an aging prospector) whose carefree vibe and joyful protagonist manage to turn twenty minutes of digging holes into the cinematic equivalent of a pleasant stroll through paradise on a warm summer day. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs there is something for everyone - the best result an anthology film can have.
‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ could have been a fitting end to the Coen brothers’ life together
One of the most exciting things about art is its stillness. Once a film is released, it never changes, but the world that perceives it certainly does, allowing radical reimaginings across the decades in ways the director never imagined. When The Ballad of Buster Scruggs — a film not yet six years old — its gradual evolution as a heart code to the Coen brothers’ career has seen time suffocate it with a new layer of intrigue. This makes the revision odd, especially since his debut seemed to herald a new golden age for filmmakers. Netflix - widely known and infamous - is known for giving its partners an amazing level of creative control, allowing them to bring projects to life that would not otherwise stand a chance. While this has resulted in much of their content taking the form of narcissistic riots in desperate need of a more hands-on producer, it has also proven to be very tempting for some directors, with some of them, for example David Fincher And Noah Baumbach – effectively working for them full time.
It would be easy to imagine that the Coens would use The Ballad of Buster Scruggs to throw themselves overboard into a new era of creative freedom—perhaps one populated by their legions of unproduced scripts that any number of streaming sites would accept in the blink of an eye. But alas, it was not there. Complex productions The Ballad of Buster Scruggs And Hello Caesar! (their 2016 comedy based on the Golden Age of Hollywood) made Ethan rethink why he was in his profession, and since the brothers were both in their sixties and not getting any younger, it was inevitable that they would take some time apart to understand their personal ambition before age made them impossible. The tragedy of Macbeth is one of the greatest film adaptations of Shakespeare in recent years, but would we still be talking about it if half of the director’s team forced themselves to consider it convincing? No we won’t, and hopefully we’ll express similar feelings when Dolls for departure approach. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs were all the makings of a new beginning for the duo. In the end, it turned out exactly the opposite.
So it’s only fitting that it ends with “The Mortal Remains,” a grim exploration of our inherent mortality that plays out as a creepy reimagining. John Ford Stagecoach. The premise is simple - five different characters talk while traveling to Fort Morgan - but as the van rumbles, the gradual emergence of the supernatural makes the truth known. In a film where death is always lurking on the sidelines, the Coens must end the story where the dirty work has already been done. All that remains are two enigmatic bounty hunters (bewitchingly depicted Jonjo O’Neill And Brendan Gleeson) to ferry their three disoriented passengers to their destination, although it remains unanswered what will happen to them when they get there. The Coens could not think of a better way to sum up and then conclude this fatalistic collection of tales, and given that The Ballad of Buster Scruggstendrils trailing back throughout their filmography, “The Mortal Remains” feels like a valuable curtain call to their time as collaborators.
The last point speaks for itself. Arriving at Fort Morgan, one of the passengers hesitates before stepping through the hotel door, lingering on the gulf between one stage of his life and the next. He looks back to see the van disappear into the night, a strange expression of sentimentality on his face. And then, with a sudden surge of energy, he throws a top hat over his head and rushes to the hotel, ready for whatever the future brings him. It’s probably safe to assume that the Coens deliberately used him as a stand-in to quell their own fears that they would go it alone for their next projects… but then again, isn’t wild speculation half the fun of critique? The past is the past, and the future is bright. Look ahead and keep moving.
Source: Collider
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