#14 – The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
I’ve gone on record naming the Coen Brothers as my favorite filmmakers, so it should come as no surprise that they landed two films on my Best of the 2010s list.
I will wait until I get to the next one to talk about the Coens’ decade overall.
But today, a few words about the brothers’ last film of the decade, the Western anthology The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.
This movie is so rich both thematically and visually that it begs for and rewards repeat viewings, like all of the Coens’ work. It is also the rare anthology film that works equally well as individual stories and as a whole.
I believe I’ve written more about Buster Scruggs than any other movie since I started the blog, giving it an overall review and then diving deep into each of its five stories. I’ll refer you to those posts for an in-depth look at why I find it so great.
The barren waste
Without the taste of water
Cool water
Old Dan and I
With throats burned dry
And souls that cry for water
Cool clear water
Dan, can you see that big green tree
Where the water’s running free
And it’s waiting there for you and me
The night’s so cool
And I’m a fool
Each star’s a pool of water
Cool water
But with the dawn
I wake and yawn and carry on
Cool water(water)
Cool clear water(water, water)
Keep on moving, Dan
Don’t you listen to him, Dan
He’s a devil oughta man
And he spreads the burning sand
With water(water)
Dan, can you see that big green tree
Where the water’s running free
And it’s waiting there for you and me
Meet Me In Montauk 
And I refer you to my comments on those posts as to why I disagree.😜
I enjoyed this movie too!
I need to review my decades’ top lists to get a sense of which films I’d be placing on my list, as I’m newly surprised by each of your picks. That said, I agree with your commentary and your love of the Coen brothers.