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IMDbPro

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

  • 20182018
  • RR
  • 2h 13m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
144K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,042
6
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
An anthology western following six different storylines centering on a man named Buster Scruggs.
Play trailer1:45
4 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Comedy
  • Drama
  • Musical
Six tales of life and violence in the Old West, following a singing gunslinger, a bank robber, a traveling impresario, an elderly prospector, a wagon train, and a perverse pair of bounty hun... Read allSix tales of life and violence in the Old West, following a singing gunslinger, a bank robber, a traveling impresario, an elderly prospector, a wagon train, and a perverse pair of bounty hunters.Six tales of life and violence in the Old West, following a singing gunslinger, a bank robber, a traveling impresario, an elderly prospector, a wagon train, and a perverse pair of bounty hunters.
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
144K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,042
6
  • Directors
    • Ethan Coen
    • Joel Coen
  • Writers
    • Joel Coen
    • Ethan Coen
    • Jack London(based on a story by)
  • Stars
    • Tim Blake Nelson
    • Willie Watson
    • Clancy Brown
Top credits
  • Directors
    • Ethan Coen
    • Joel Coen
  • Writers
    • Joel Coen
    • Ethan Coen
    • Jack London(based on a story by)
  • Stars
    • Tim Blake Nelson
    • Willie Watson
    • Clancy Brown
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 790User reviews
    • 243Critic reviews
    • 79Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 3 Oscars
      • 7 wins & 41 nominations total

    Videos4

    Official Trailer #2
    Trailer 1:45
    Official Trailer #2
    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:51
    Official Trailer
    'Buster Scruggs': The Coen Bros.' Misunderstood, Misanthropic Masterwork
    Clip 3:23
    'Buster Scruggs': The Coen Bros.' Misunderstood, Misanthropic Masterwork
    A Guide to the Films of the Coen Brothers
    Clip 1:56
    A Guide to the Films of the Coen Brothers

    Photos422

    Tim Blake Nelson in The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
    Ethan Coen and Joel Coen at an event for The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
    Carter Burwell at an event for The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
    Tim Blake Nelson at an event for The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
    Paul Dano and Grace Gummer at an event for The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
    Paul Dano and Zoe Kazan at an event for The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
    Zoe Kazan at an event for The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
    Ethan Coen and Joel Coen at an event for The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
    Stephen Root at an event for The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
    The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
    The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
    The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Tim Blake Nelson
    Tim Blake Nelson
    • Buster Scruggs (segment "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs")as Buster Scruggs (segment "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs")
    Willie Watson
    Willie Watson
    • The Kid (segment "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs")as The Kid (segment "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs")
    Clancy Brown
    Clancy Brown
    • Curly Joe (segment "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs")as Curly Joe (segment "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs")
    Danny McCarthy
    Danny McCarthy
    • Curly Joe's Brother (segment "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs")as Curly Joe's Brother (segment "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs")
    David Krumholtz
    David Krumholtz
    • Frenchman (segment "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs")as Frenchman (segment "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs")
    Thomas Wingate
    Thomas Wingate
    • Gun Check Man (segment "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs")as Gun Check Man (segment "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs")
    Tim DeZarn
    Tim DeZarn
    • Mean-Eyed Card Player (segment "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs")as Mean-Eyed Card Player (segment "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs")
    E.E. Bell
    E.E. Bell
    • Piano Player (segment "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs")as Piano Player (segment "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs")
    Alejandro Patiño
    Alejandro Patiño
    • Cantina Bartender (segment "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs")as Cantina Bartender (segment "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs")
    • (as Alejandro Patino)
    Tom Proctor
    Tom Proctor
    • Cantina Bad Man (segment "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs")as Cantina Bad Man (segment "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs")
    Clinton Roberts
    • Cantina Scum (segment "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs")as Cantina Scum (segment "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs")
    • (as Clinton Robert)
    Matthew Willig
    Matthew Willig
    • Cantina Scum (segment "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs")as Cantina Scum (segment "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs")
    Jesse Youngblood
    • Cantina Scum (segment "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs")as Cantina Scum (segment "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs")
    J.J. Dashnaw
    J.J. Dashnaw
    • Cantina Scum (segment "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs")as Cantina Scum (segment "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs")
    James Franco
    James Franco
    • Cowboy (segment "Near Algodones")as Cowboy (segment "Near Algodones")
    Stephen Root
    Stephen Root
    • Teller (segment "Near Algodones")as Teller (segment "Near Algodones")
    Ralph Ineson
    Ralph Ineson
    • Posse Leader (segment "Near Algodones")as Posse Leader (segment "Near Algodones")
    Mike Watson
    Mike Watson
    • Posse #1 (segment "Near Algodones")as Posse #1 (segment "Near Algodones")
    • Directors
      • Ethan Coen
      • Joel Coen
    • Writers
      • Joel Coen
      • Ethan Coen
      • Jack London(based on a story by) (segment All Gold Canyon)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The poker hand Buster Scruggs refuses to play in the saloon is a two-pair of black aces and eights, known as "the dead man's hand." According to legend, that was the hand 'Wild Bill' Hickok had when he was shot in the back of the head and killed by Jack McCall.
    • Goofs
      After the Cowboy in Near Algodones is about to get hanged for the first time, the horse wanders from its initial spot under the tree. If the rope around the Cowboy's neck is long enough to let the horse wander that far, he would have landed on his feet if the lawmen had had luck fulfilling the deed. Also, the rope changes angle in closeups vs. in landscape footage.
    • Quotes

      Buster Scruggs (segment "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs"): There's just gotta be a place up ahead where men ain't low-down and poker's played fair. If there weren't, what are all the songs about? I'll see y'all there. And we can sing together and shake our heads over all the meanness in the used-to-be.

    • Connections
      Featured in Monkey in the Morning: #ThotAudit Taxing Boobs (2018)
    • Soundtracks
      Cool Water
      Written by Bob Nolan

      Performed by Tim Blake Nelson (uncredited)

    User reviews790

    Review
    Top review
    6/10
    Smart, Well Done & Boring
    How do you rate a movie that is very well done, but you just don't connect with it at all? I love the Coen brothers, and I watched this with an open heart. Not every Coen brothers movie knocks it out of the park, but all of them are at least smart and interesting. The same holds true for this one, though I'm sorry to say that I found myself bored throughout most of it.

    Six stories is a lot to process in one sitting. The problem for me was that I would be watching one of the segments, trying to understand its significance or find something to appreciate story-wise, and then we moved on to the next tale.

    There was nothing wrong with it and I would consider watching it again some time with a fresh perspective. This movie did seem to have a grasp on itself and I trust that the Coens knew what they were doing. It was very unique and beautifully shot, but I think this one ranks low on the Coen's filmography. And if this wasn't a Coen brothers movie, I would probably be more dismissive of it.
    helpful•589
    311
    • doveed
    • Nov 17, 2018

    FAQ3

    • Are the various stories original or adapted?
    • Who plays the landlady in the first scene of "The Gal Who Got Rattled"?
    • Billy Knapp asks Alice if her brother Gilbert is a "doughface". What does that mean?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 9, 2018 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • French
    • Also known as
      • All Gold Canyon
    • Filming locations
      • Scottsbluff, Nebraska, USA
    • Production companies
      • Annapurna Pictures
      • Annapurna Television
      • Mike Zoss Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 13 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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