The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
[Devin Dayley]
Year Released: 2018
Directors: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Stars:
Tim Blake Nelson
James Franco
Liam Neeson
General Summary:
The film is set in the old west and is split into six separate stories. This film tells the tales of a gunslinger (Nelson), a bankrobber (Franco), a travelling actor and his caretaker (Neeson), an elderly gold-hunter, a wagon train heading west, and two bounty hunters.
Review:
I watched this film because it is nominated for three Oscars and because it is on Netflix, so it was easy to access. This film is very different than other mainstream for multiple reasons. 1) it is set in the old west, which is a rarity in this day and age, at no dismay to me, 2) it has six distinct sections and stories with six different main characters, and 3) it does not follow the typical 3-act timeline that films follow.
I have to say, I liked this movie a lot. I think part, maybe most, of the reason that I enjoyed this film so much is because it is different. Most, if not all, other films focus on one story, one set of main characters, and let us get to know the characters and the story. This film, however, allows slim to no time for us to get to the story before things start to happen. What we get, then, is a story catching us off guard and unfolding as we get to know these characters. So our perspectives on the characters are slightly skewed by the plot of the story.
I can see why this film didn’t get more nominations, like for acting or anything because, although some of the acting was really good, some of it was just mediocre, some of the accents didn’t match up, and the script seemed more modern than “old west” style. Who am I to really judge, though? I don’t know anything. They may have spoken with good grammar and stuff back in the old west.
I would rate this movie an 8.4/10
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