REVIEW: ‘Buster Scruggs’ is another win for the Coen brothers


The Coen brothers’ latest project, “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs,” deviates from the typical film narrative by splitting into six stories, each with its own distinct plots and characters. (Photo from IMDb)

As the 2019 Oscars season approaches, an unlikely studio has made it clear that it deserves serious consideration for this year’s awards.

With last week’s historical drama “The Outlaw King,” and Friday’s wide release, “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs,” Netflix has officially launched its Academy Awards campaign. The latter, which was screened at the School of Cinematic Arts this Wednesday, comes from the acclaimed writer-director duo of Joel and Ethan Coen.

The Coen brothers, known for spinning elaborate tales out of their characters’ fatal flaws, try out a new format with “The Ballad Buster Scruggs” — a Western anthology film with six distinct, unrelated chapters. Uncommon as this format is, the Coen brothers’ new film is well-written and consistently captivating.

The Coens undoubtedly knew their film would be released on a streaming service. Netflix is known for giving directors extensive creative liberty, and the film’s anthology structure is perfect for the platform as viewers can easily digest it in spurts rather than in one sitting. Rarely does a streaming service original film win major awards, and it may be that the Academy — notorious for favoring tradition over innovation — frowns on Netflix’s intrusion into its established system. Nevertheless, “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs,” deserves recognition for its ingenious writing.

While the film has six individual plots rather than one cohesive narrative, the Coens manage to skillfully concoct dark and entertaining tales. They open and close each chapter with a shot of a hand turning the pages of a thick volume. Indeed, the film feels like someone reading old campfire tales to the audience, conjuring fascinating stories of the Wild West out of thin air.

The Coens pack almost every Western trope into their ballads: outlaws, gunslingers, prospectors and even caravans on the Oregon Trail. The filmmakers’ reverence for the genre is evident, as is their desire to spin classic conventions in their own unique way.

Exercising their screenwriting prowess, the Coens’ anthology ranges from absurdist humor in the first chapter, titled “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs,” to drawn-out melodrama in the final chapter, “The Girl Who Got Rattled.” All these tales exist in an unmistakably Coen universe — a stylized reality that is both harsh and unpredictable.

“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” is no different from the Coens’ typical tales of human imperfections; each short story features jealous, lustful or prideful characters who must face the sudden (and violent) fallout of their imperfections. For example, the giddy pride of the outlaw in the film’s opening chapter results in a Flannery O’Connor-esque realization of guilt that’s just one second too late.

Violence is another common thread that runs through the six tales. While the Coen brothers take their time with every chapter — fearlessly elongating scenes of both dialogue and silence — the anticipation of the inevitable shootout is enough to hold viewers’ interest throughout each segment.  

The Coen brothers’ last film, “Hail, Caesar!” came and went with little notoriety. Yet, the duo continues to be relevant because their older works are regarded as indie landmarks of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Whether “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” will remain or pass on in the public consciousness is not yet known — and even though it may not compete with some of their beloved classics like “Fargo” or “The Big Lebowski” — it is the unmistakable product of the same wonderful storytellers.