# The Ballad of Buster Scruggs- new Netflix film by the Coens Spoilers possible- none in OP **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 16, 2018, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ballad-of-buster-scruggs-new-netflix-film-by-the-coens-spoilers-possible-none-in-op/824626 "2018-11-16T17:32:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![DerNils](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f14d63/32.png) [@DerNils](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DerNils)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2018, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ballad-of-buster-scruggs-new-netflix-film-by-the-coens-spoilers-possible-none-in-op/824626/81 "2018-12-06T08:36:31Z")
I have to admit that some optimistic ending or highlight would have helped our enjoyment. “Meal ticket” and “The Gal…” are so bleak, while “Mortal Remains” is very ambiguous. So some lighter notes would have helped me and the wife to enjoy it more. As is, after “meal ticket” my wife was disturbed, and “The Gal …” left her crushed. It’s ok to show that life can be randomly shitty, but it would be nice to show how it can be randomly good as well. I think the first three installments had a good balance there, with the funny but evil Buster getting his comeuppance, the bad guy in “Near Algodones” not escaping justice, and the prospector at least having a shot at getting a good ending. But it was an beautiful comment on the western genre, and it lends itself very well to rewatching and Analysis, which I love. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2018, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ballad-of-buster-scruggs-new-netflix-film-by-the-coens-spoilers-possible-none-in-op/824626/82 "2018-12-06T13:46:22Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > That didn’t occur to me until I read your post. I assumed that Neeson bought both the gimmick and the chicken, but it makes more Coen Bros. sense for him to have been conned into believing it was a magic chicken. I like it. I mean, if you know the trick, the specific chicken surely doesn’t matter. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2018, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ballad-of-buster-scruggs-new-netflix-film-by-the-coens-spoilers-possible-none-in-op/824626/83 "2018-12-07T01:14:02Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > I mean, if you know the trick, the specific chicken surely doesn’t matter. Unless any random chicken would have to be conditioned to respond to whatever the stimulus was, and Neeson’s character didn’t have the time or inclination to train one. Just WAG’ing now, because you’re probably right. ---
**Author:** ![brossa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brossa/32/3040_2.png) [@brossa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brossa)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2018, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ballad-of-buster-scruggs-new-netflix-film-by-the-coens-spoilers-possible-none-in-op/824626/84 "2018-12-07T16:21:35Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > My take on the prospector surviving his bullet wound was based on the known type of bullet wound where it penetrates the skin, hits the bone but due to deficient speed/mass, gets deflected and tunnels under the skin atop the bone to exit elsewhere, or just stopping under the skin, leaving a bloody but superficial superficial wound. It’s tough to read the angle, but the [scapula](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5369294/) could [have](https://www.mdmag.com/journals/mdng-endocrinology/2008/sep2008/gunshout-wound) been [involved](https://www.jshoulderelbow.org/article/S1058-2746(02)86878-1/abstract) too. I did get a chuckle out of “It didn’t hit nothin’ important! Nothin’ important! Just guts is all you hit!” Let’s hope not, Tom! ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2018, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ballad-of-buster-scruggs-new-netflix-film-by-the-coens-spoilers-possible-none-in-op/824626/85 "2018-12-16T19:03:22Z")
We just watched it last night, I’m still thinking about it, but Meal Ticket was by far my favorite. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ballad-of-buster-scruggs-new-netflix-film-by-the-coens-spoilers-possible-none-in-op/824626/86 "2018-12-17T15:48:44Z")
Okay, I’ve digested the movie (burp) and am ready to discuss it. I know everyone has been waiting on pins and needles. It’s almost like they created Twilight Zone episodes based in the Old West. The Cohen Bros. also seemed to be showing off, like “see we can make a dark and gritty western, we can also make a John Ford style western and a old timey singing cowboy western!” Good stuff. I liked it better than Hail Caesar. My rankings of the episodes: 1. Meal Ticket, the Orator’s performance was amazing, especially when he wasn’t speaking, just using his eyes to act 2. Buster Scruggs, just awesome use of cartoon violence with real world consequences 3. Mortal Remains, most Twilight Zonesque of the bunch. 4. Near Algodones, I’d watch Root read the phone book 5. Rattled, too long for the payoff 6. All Gold Canyon, huge Tom Waits fan, but I don’t like happy endings in general. ---
**Author:** ![Tinker\_Grey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tinker_grey/32/8136_2.png) [@Tinker\_Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tinker_Grey)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ballad-of-buster-scruggs-new-netflix-film-by-the-coens-spoilers-possible-none-in-op/824626/87 "2018-12-18T04:17:20Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > Okay, I’ve digested the movie (burp) and am ready to discuss it. I know everyone has been waiting on pins and needles. > > It’s almost like they created Twilight Zone episodes based in the Old West. The Cohen Bros. also seemed to be showing off, like “see we can make a dark and gritty western, we can also make a John Ford style western and a old timey singing cowboy western!” Good stuff. I liked it better than Hail Caesar. > > My rankings of the episodes: > > 1. Meal Ticket, the Orator’s performance was amazing, especially when he wasn’t speaking, just using his eyes to act > 2. Buster Scruggs, just awesome use of cartoon violence with real world consequences > 3. Mortal Remains, most Twilight Zonesque of the bunch. > 4. Near Algodones, I’d watch Root read the phone book > 5. Rattled, too long for the payoff > 6. All Gold Canyon, huge Tom Waits fan, but I don’t like happy endings in general. I’d go with 3, 4, 1, 5 in a Tie with 2, and 6. Meal Ticket was beautifully shot. That kid (the orator) has got a great career ahead of him. I agree with your statements. But, the whole thing felt too long. Buster Scruggs: Funny but a pretty goofy start to a dark-ish movie. I did like that the main character isn’t quite what you might initially guess him to be. Mortal Remains. I like the philosophical bent to the discussion. What’s the trope? Closed room? Any way. I also like the Zone-esque aspect. I like Kathy Bates getting put in her place and the ambiguous ending. Near Algondones was funny and I, too, like root. That’s when it began to sink in that this movie was going to subvert expectations. Rattled: I really like the performances. I could stand to see Kazan in more things. But, I agree that it was too long. Gold: It was good to see Waits is still around. I like his performance. The scenery was gorgeous. But too long and the happy ending seemed out of place with the rest of the movie. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ballad-of-buster-scruggs-new-netflix-film-by-the-coens-spoilers-possible-none-in-op/824626/88 "2018-12-18T13:34:38Z")
> [@Tinker\_Grey](#): > > I’d go with 3, 4, 1, 5 in a Tie with 2, and 6. > > Meal Ticket was beautifully shot. That kid (the orator) has got a great career ahead of him. I agree with your statements. But, the whole thing felt too long. > > Buster Scruggs: Funny but a pretty goofy start to a dark-ish movie. I did like that the main character isn’t quite what you might initially guess him to be. > > Mortal Remains. I like the philosophical bent to the discussion. What’s the trope? Closed room? Any way. I also like the Zone-esque aspect. I like Kathy Bates getting put in her place and the ambiguous ending. > > Near Algondones was funny and I, too, like root. That’s when it began to sink in that this movie was going to subvert expectations. > > Rattled: I really like the performances. I could stand to see Kazan in more things. But, I agree that it was too long. > > Gold: It was good to see Waits is still around. I like his performance. The scenery was > gorgeous. But too long and the happy ending seemed out of place with the rest of the movie. It was actually Tyne Daily on the stagecoach, not Kathy Bates. I hadn’t seen Daily in anything in years, but she was pretty good. Wouldn’t it be great if the Cohen Brothers put out a movie on Netflix like this every couple of years that plays with a particular genre? ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ballad-of-buster-scruggs-new-netflix-film-by-the-coens-spoilers-possible-none-in-op/824626/89 "2018-12-18T13:57:15Z")
> [@Tinker\_Grey](#): > > Near Algondones was funny and I, too, like root. That’s when it began to sink in that this movie was going to subvert expectations. “Pan shot!” I guess this is a good time to confess: Although I bragged earlier about noticing the prospector in “Gold Canyon” was still bleeding, I was too dense to catch the subtleties of “Mortal Remains.” ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ballad-of-buster-scruggs-new-netflix-film-by-the-coens-spoilers-possible-none-in-op/824626/90 "2018-12-18T14:00:48Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > Wouldn’t it be great if the Cohen Brothers put out a movie on Netflix like this every couple of years that plays with a particular genre? Better still if this were done by the Coen brothers! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ballad-of-buster-scruggs-new-netflix-film-by-the-coens-spoilers-possible-none-in-op/824626/91 "2018-12-18T22:34:09Z")
I blame bourbon and autocorrect in that order. ---
**Author:** ![Tinker\_Grey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tinker_grey/32/8136_2.png) [@Tinker\_Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tinker_Grey)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ballad-of-buster-scruggs-new-netflix-film-by-the-coens-spoilers-possible-none-in-op/824626/92 "2018-12-18T23:14:28Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > It was actually Tyne Daily on the stagecoach, not Kathy Bates. I hadn’t seen Daily in anything in years, but she was pretty good. > > Wouldn’t it be great if the Cohen Brothers put out a movie on Netflix like this every couple of years that plays with a particular genre? You’re right (Although, it’s “Daly” :D). Shouldn’t have been working from memory. Yeah. I could stand to this kind of thing from the Coens on a semi-regular basis. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2018, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ballad-of-buster-scruggs-new-netflix-film-by-the-coens-spoilers-possible-none-in-op/824626/93 "2018-12-26T16:24:57Z")
Just saw it, and really liked it. It would fit in well with the universe that includes the Coen Brothers’ _True Grit_ and _No Country for Old Men_. > [@Driver8](#): > > …“The Gal Who Got Rattled” was my favorite. I really liked the portrayal of the romantic relationship. It showed a real connection being made but didn’t feel like an anachronism: they kept to the formality and structure that I’d expect from the time, but it felt like a real deep understanding and match. It was really convincing. It made things all the more tragic, and actually made me let my guard down to the extent that I was not expecting the ending (even though in hindsight I obviously ought to have)… Both my teenage son and I suspected that either the girl or her potential husband, the wagon train #2 guy, were probably doomed. It’s just that kind of movie. > [@Johnny\_Ecks](#): > > …The last segment, the mortal remains… the cherub and devil atop the hotel doors was a nice touch… Yes! We noticed that. > [@kenobi\_65](#): > > …While watching “Meal Ticket,” I felt like I recognized the young man playing Harrison (the actor) – I looked him up, and discovered that he’s Harry Melling, who played Dudley Dursley in the Harry Potter films. Yes, he was terrific. And has lost a lot of weight since the HP films. > [@control-z](#): > > …The story of the one with James Franco wasn’t that great, seemed too short. But Stephen Root yelling “POT HIT, POT HIT!” or whatever was hilarious. > > All Gold Canyon was good if a bit slow. If that is an accurate depiction of that sort of gold prospecting it’s very interesting… I noticed in the final credits that the movie was made by Pan Shot Productions. I did some panning for gold, years ago, and it looked about right to me. Didn’t understand why he wouldn’t have kept the tiny flakes of gold that he initially found, though. > [@DrCube](#): > > The last episode makes it seem like the passengers are on their way to the afterlife, but then, who was Mr. Thorpe on the roof of the stagecoach? Double dead? Just call him Charon: [Charon - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charon) > [@kayaker](#): > > Loved them all. Trying to rank them, I wind up with a different order each time. Tom Waits sure kicked ass as an actor… I have to admit, for a long time, we thought it was Will Ferrell under a lot of makeup! ---
**Author:** ![brossa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brossa/32/3040_2.png) [@brossa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brossa)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2018, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ballad-of-buster-scruggs-new-netflix-film-by-the-coens-spoilers-possible-none-in-op/824626/94 "2018-12-26T16:34:08Z")
About the panning - in the Jack London story, the flakes that he’s counting are really tiny. It’s not until he gets a lot closer to Mr. Pocket that they are worth keeping. I think that they punched up the size a bit for the sake of the viewers, so you’d know what he’s seeing and how his plan works. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2018, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ballad-of-buster-scruggs-new-netflix-film-by-the-coens-spoilers-possible-none-in-op/824626/95 "2018-12-27T07:05:50Z")
I really appreciate this thread. It has greatly enhanced my appreciation of the movie. Many thanks to all who have contributed. I didn’t get around to watching the movie until this week, and I really liked it, but I didn’t want to revive a month old thread with nothing new to add. But since it had been revived, I’ll add my two cents. Basically, I liked the first episode the best, and liked each successive vignette somewhat less than the previous one. Mind you, I liked them all! But as they got progressively darker and more obscure, I enjoyed them a little bit less. I do like dark stories, but I like humor more. The first one reminded me very much of my all time favorite Coen movie, Raising Arizona. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2018, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ballad-of-buster-scruggs-new-netflix-film-by-the-coens-spoilers-possible-none-in-op/824626/96 "2018-12-27T10:23:01Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > The first one reminded me very much of my all time favorite Coen movie, Raising Arizona. I agree that I liked the first chapter the best, but it mostly reminded me of _Rustler’s Rhapsody_. I would have happily watched an entire movie in that vein. The chapter I liked second best was “All Gold Canyon” Waits did indeed rule in that role, though he rarely disappoints. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2018, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ballad-of-buster-scruggs-new-netflix-film-by-the-coens-spoilers-possible-none-in-op/824626/97 "2018-12-27T15:07:00Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > I did some panning for gold, years ago, and it looked about right to me. Didn’t understand why he wouldn’t have kept the tiny flakes of gold that he initially found, though. > [@brossa](#): > > About the panning - in the Jack London story, the flakes that he’s counting are really tiny. It’s not until he gets a lot closer to Mr. Pocket that they are worth keeping. I think that they punched up the size a bit for the sake of the viewers, so you’d know what he’s seeing and how his plan works. As I mentioned earlier, but for poking around in the meadow rather than in the stream it pretty well depicted the process of tracking down the source of the color, usually a pocket but everybody dreams of finding a mother lode. He didn’t keep them because he was after the source, not trying to make a living. Only the very first people at a gold strike – California or the Klondyke as examples – can temporarily make a living with naught but a gold pan. I’ve panned and kept in a vial the tiny flakes I found, but only as a souvenir, not for cash. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2018, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ballad-of-buster-scruggs-new-netflix-film-by-the-coens-spoilers-possible-none-in-op/824626/98 "2018-12-27T15:19:33Z")
Incidentally, Buster didn’t want to play that hand of cards because it was the Dead Man’s Hand: [Dead man's hand - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_man%27s_hand) > [@msmith537](#): > > …I think part of what made the film seem so dark and unsettling was the combination of these recognizable Western styles with deaths that seem so arbitrary, brutal or ironic. Well said. > [@msmith537](#): > > …in Meal Ticket, does anyone else picture Liam Neeson’s character saying “Looks like you’re going to have to change your name…to Bob!” before tossing that dude off the bridge? An old joke, sure, but I don’t think he’d do that. If anything, it was more unsettling that he had an almost shy, apologetic smile as he quietly walked over to the wagon to (almost certainly) toss the Professor off the bridge. > [@hajario](#): > > I thought about that. I think [Liam Neeson] was scammed [by the chicken owner]. Nice! Hadn’t thought about that. That makes it even more heartbreaking. > [@RealityChuck](#): > > I liked it overall. Not one of the Coen’s best and I think the fact that it was a series of vignettes (some not even stories) hurt it… Yeah, it would’ve been nice if there had been some kind of connection between the episodes - shared characters or a narrative handoff of some kind. Say, we later see the singing man in black who killed Buster in the crowd for the hanging of the bank robber, and then the nearsighted bank clerk is among those watching Prof. Harrison orate, and then we see a Harrison handbill tucked into the prospector’s pack, etc. > [@lisiate](#): > > I really enjoyed it. Well worth watching. Brendan Gleeson has a remarkably fine singing voice… Gleeson is great in just about everything. See _Calvary_, if you haven’t already, in which he plays a troubled Catholic priest in a small Irish town. > [@hajario](#): > > … I still don’t get the deal with the dead body up top. Maybe that guy is going to Hell and the others to Heaven. Don’t know how literally the Coen Bros. intended it, but wouldn’t the dead body be carried downstairs to “the basement” if the guy was going to Hell? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2018, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ballad-of-buster-scruggs-new-netflix-film-by-the-coens-spoilers-possible-none-in-op/824626/99 "2018-12-27T19:00:37Z")
An interesting article on the sfx of TBOBS: [How Ballad of Buster Scruggs pulled off its cutting-edge effects - CNET](https://www.cnet.com/news/the-ballad-of-buster-scruggs-netflix-packed-with-cgi/#ftag=CAD590a51e) ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2018, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ballad-of-buster-scruggs-new-netflix-film-by-the-coens-spoilers-possible-none-in-op/824626/100 "2018-12-28T01:13:09Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > I have to admit, for a long time, we thought it was Will Ferrell under a lot of makeup! And I thought it was Bruce Dern! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ballad-of-buster-scruggs-new-netflix-film-by-the-coens-spoilers-possible-none-in-op/824626.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ballad-of-buster-scruggs-new-netflix-film-by-the-coens-spoilers-possible-none-in-op/824626.md?page=6)