Review:

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is six segments that look beautiful, have solid cinematography, great acting, and are interesting. My issue is the reoccurring themes quickly make the segments predictable. This wouldn't be an issue if the stories were satisfying, but for me, they just weren't. I understand that we get six short stories in 120 minutes, so nothing is going to be fully developed, but unlike most anthology films, it never feels like we are getting a whole story: a beginning, a middle, and an end. About half of them at least establish a solid story, as small and shallow as it may be, but they all just kind of drift off into the desert. They have an A-list cast and I really didn't have an issue with anyone; even James Franco, who I usually find to be just a terrible actor, is great. I've read other reviews that talk about the dark humor in the film, but within the two hours, I smirked maybe three times. I love dark, macabre humor, but I just don't see it. Not I didn't think the funny parts were actually funny, but I don't think it was trying to be funny more than a handful of times. Every segment has a solid beginning, but quickly plateaus and abruptly ends. There is a specific issue I have with all the endings, but I don't want to ruin anything in the film. It's definitely worth watching (if you already have a Netflix subscription), but of the Coen brothers films that I've seen it doesn't really match up.