Reviews of The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018) and related work

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018Moving picture, 133 minutes)

Seen in 2019.

Anthology of Westerns. It does indeed benefit from being seen in sequence without major interupption.

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“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” (2018Moving picture, 17 minutes)

Seen in 2019.

Smooth and eerie satire.

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“Near Algodones” (2018Moving picture, 17 minutes)

Seen in 2019.

Bank robbery.

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“Meal Ticket” (2018Moving picture, 17 minutes)

Seen in 2019.

I don’t see why the performer never says anything except the poetry he’s rehearsed.

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“All Gold Canyon” (2018Moving picture, 17 minutes)

Seen in 2019.

Prospecting.

Though not the most plausible, this is the most sincerely produced genre Western in the collection, and it’s good.

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“The Gal Who Got Rattled” (2018Moving picture, 17 minutes)

Seen in 2019.

The Oregon trail.

A period drama, and the best chapter. As a rule, US costume romances are terrible. This is a notable exception, finely structured and highly plausible with the possible exception of the self-destructive American war party.

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“The Mortal Remains” (2018Moving picture, 17 minutes)

Seen in 2019.

Secretly allegory. The horror trope isn’t new, but it’s very well implemented.

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