The rare anthology that isn't of the Horror genre. Well, it may not be Horror, but it certainly is dark. But then, almost everything about the Old West seems a horrific way to live compared to the conveniences and luxuries most of us have today. I kept thinking about how much time a person that lived back then would have had to consider their own life and not be distracted by things like movies, social media, sports, showers , etc. I don't know if the way characters spoke was accurate, but the dialog hinted at an antiquated but eloquent dialect. Then again, with the Coen Brothers, the dialog of the characters flows almost unnaturally. Certainly, the characters in these stories aren't as well educated as we are today, so I'm guessing it's writers being clever.

I'm not a fan of Westerns, but I am an anthology and short story nut. This was a film I really enjoyed. As is the case in almost all anthologies, there's a twist, and here, the turns are severe. I felt guilty about how much I actually enjoyed them because most are very cruel to undeserving characters. A number of the stories end abruptly and are going to be jarring to many viewers.

This is beautiful to look at. The wide open spaces of the West stretch out and dwarf the little people of the prairies. I almost always like the Coens, and for them to be spinning a collection of tales like this is nearly gold to me. So about those six stories, here's how I'd rate them in my order of enjoyment:

The Gal Who Got Rattled
All Golds Canyon
Near Aldgones
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Meal Ticket
The Mortal Remains