The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

A lot of stuff happened in the American West from the late nineteenth century, unfortunately most of it was either pretty depressing or pretty tame. People took stuff that wasn’t theirs, but mostly from Native Americans rather than the local bank in daring heists, and you were more likely to die from disease than a tense quickdraw duel with the man that shot your pa. We’re not here to talk about historical accuracy, though, we’re here to celebrate the American West as it has been mythologized by the silver screen: a realm of hardened gunslingers with stubble-dusted chins engaging in thrilling shootouts, untouched natural vistas brimming with the promise of adventure and wealth, and copious amounts of DUST! Westerns are a staple of American movies, but because we here at Magellans at the Movies are nothing if not men of the modern age we decided to eschew The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly in favor of The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, a 2018 anthology film directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. Buster Scruggs is jam packed with everything that makes the Coens great: masterful directing, eccentric characters, and pitch-black comedy that complements intelligent themes with the added bonus of taking place across six different stories drawing on classic Western tropes and images; a filmmaking playground that the Coens put to great effect. Saddle up, listeners!