Netflix Original Western From Master Directing Duo Is A Star-Studded Comedy

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs was written and directed by the Coen brothers, who also served as the lead producers and editors of the Netflix original film. Six unrelated short stories are told through the narrative of the film, connected only by shared themes of post-Civil War America and the old West.

Several of the stories serve as adaptations of classic Western literature, while others are Coen brothers originals, though each installment offers a unique series of quirky characters and comedic absurdity that could only be pulled off by the brilliant duo behind Fargo, No Country For Old Men, and Burn After Reading.

While each leg of the film is enjoyable in its own right, my personal favorite section of The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is the opening story of the same name. This short tells the story of a wandering cowboy with pristine white clothing and a penchant for singing cheerful tunes, who packs a shocking ability to dismantle his foes with cold indifference and relative ease.

After shooting up an entire saloon of obvious ne’er-do-wells, Buster Scruggs makes his way to a bustling town, where he continues to leave a trail of destruction in his wake.

While the opening story is my favorite, the film maintains a high level of energy and storytelling excellence throughout its 2 hour and 12 minute run-time.

Subsequent installments in The Ballad of Buster Scruggs center on a wildly lucky bandit who continually escapes the hangman, a prospector who braves the elements to pan for gold, and even a stagecoach full of ideologues who are unknowingly headed toward their afterlife. The film is at times bizarre, thought provoking, and patently hilarious.

Critics and audiences alike responded positively to The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, resulting in the film’s 89 percent certified fresh critic score on Rotten Tomatoes.

The film touts exceptional performances from a stacked cast of A-list performers, including Tim Blake Nelson, Clancy Brown, James Franco, Stephen Root, Ralph Ineson, Liam Neeson, and more. While the pacing does tend to hit a few minor slow periods due to the structure of the anthology, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is an overall excellent watch that I would recommend checking out any day of the week.

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For those interested in catching this modern Western classic, be sure to stream The Ballad of Buster Scruggs on Netflix today. Just be sure to tie off your horses, protect your stagecoach, and protect yourself from snake oil salesmen along the way.