The Ballad of Buster Scruggs follows six tales of life in the Old West; a singing gunslinger, a bank robber, a traveling entertainer, an old gold-miner, a wagon train, and a strange pair of bounty hunters.
Tim Nelson (Buster), Willie Watson (The Kid), Clancy Brown (Curly Joe), James Franco (Cowboy), Liam Neeson (Impresario), Tom Waits (Prospector), Bill Heck (Billy Knapp), Zoe Kazan (Alice), Brendan Gleeson (Irishman), Saul Rubinek (Frenchman), Tyne Daly (Lady).
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is unusual, and starts off in an unusual manner following the unusual Buster Scruggs as he sings and kills across the Old West. From there, the film follows five other Old West tales each with some good twists and turns that will keep most viewers interested. The stories are varied, interesting, and surprisingly timeless despite being Old West focused other than one which was plodding and rather uninteresting until the end.
Acting was solid and entertaining throughout with too many actors to mention individually. Nelson was fun and funny to start, and got better with the addition of Brown and Franco who also did well. Neeson was solid. Heck and Kazan both did very well in their segment. Gleeson, Rubinek, Daly, and the remainder were enjoyable.
Camera work, sets, and backgrounds are solid with a nice fit. CGI was a bit overdone at times but fit well with the theme of the film. Dialogue was funny, hard to understand at times, but moved things along. Sound and soundtrack are well done.
Overall The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is probably going to be hit-or-miss with viewers. The Cohen Brothers chose an unusual approach to this film, with each story being unusual and unique. That storytelling style may turn some off, but for those who enjoy something a bit different this Western Musical Comedy Drama Horror flick will likely be a hit.
With violence, a foul word or two, and some intense scenes, this one should be fine for older teens and above.
Released: 2018
Reviewed: 1.22.19
Star rating: 3 out of 5
Genre: Western, Drama, Musical, Comedy
copyright ©2019 Dave Riedel
Tim Nelson (Buster), Willie Watson (The Kid), Clancy Brown (Curly Joe), James Franco (Cowboy), Liam Neeson (Impresario), Tom Waits (Prospector), Bill Heck (Billy Knapp), Zoe Kazan (Alice), Brendan Gleeson (Irishman), Saul Rubinek (Frenchman), Tyne Daly (Lady).
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is unusual, and starts off in an unusual manner following the unusual Buster Scruggs as he sings and kills across the Old West. From there, the film follows five other Old West tales each with some good twists and turns that will keep most viewers interested. The stories are varied, interesting, and surprisingly timeless despite being Old West focused other than one which was plodding and rather uninteresting until the end.
Acting was solid and entertaining throughout with too many actors to mention individually. Nelson was fun and funny to start, and got better with the addition of Brown and Franco who also did well. Neeson was solid. Heck and Kazan both did very well in their segment. Gleeson, Rubinek, Daly, and the remainder were enjoyable.
Camera work, sets, and backgrounds are solid with a nice fit. CGI was a bit overdone at times but fit well with the theme of the film. Dialogue was funny, hard to understand at times, but moved things along. Sound and soundtrack are well done.
Overall The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is probably going to be hit-or-miss with viewers. The Cohen Brothers chose an unusual approach to this film, with each story being unusual and unique. That storytelling style may turn some off, but for those who enjoy something a bit different this Western Musical Comedy Drama Horror flick will likely be a hit.
With violence, a foul word or two, and some intense scenes, this one should be fine for older teens and above.
Released: 2018
Reviewed: 1.22.19
Star rating: 3 out of 5
Genre: Western, Drama, Musical, Comedy
copyright ©2019 Dave Riedel
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