The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs Review: 4 Ups & 4 Downs
1. The Excellent Music
And finally, there's some terrific music accompanying that eye-watering cinematography.
Regular Coen composer Carter Burwell provides a riveting musical score which perfectly evokes the period while skirting around twangy cliches, and a number of the principal cast members are also called upon to contribute some soulful songs.
Best of all are Tim Blake Nelson's chirpy song numbers in the opening short, giving the beloved character actor an all-too-rare opportunity to hog the spotlight for a time, and further evoke the movie's folky vibe.
At the same time, the sing-songs don't overpower the more conventional narrative elements, so if the prospect of a Coens-directed musical somehow doesn't take your fancy, you need fear not.
What did you think of the Coens' latest? Shout it out in the comments!