Also Read: The New Frontier of the Western

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About Buck and the Preacher

“Widely regarded at the time of its release as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid with a social conscience, BUCK AND THE PREACHER is an immensely satisfying Western which marked Sidney Poitier’s directorial debut, as well as his first screen pairing with superstar Harry Belafonte. Poitier stars as Buck, an ex-Union Army Cavalry sergeant who becomes a scout for freed slaves heading to the Colorado frontier. Tagging along with him are his wife (Ruby Dee in a scene-stealing performance) and a Bible-thumping con artist known as the Preacher (Belafonte).”

Also Read: The New Frontier of the Western

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To answer this first we will briefly look at the genre’s history and what made it popular. We will then look at the modern western landscape and analyse the possible reasons for the genre’s resurgence.

The Old West

While popular in the silent era after 1939’s Stagecoach westerns became something more. The genre of heroic gunslingers, like John Wayne, and the lawless wilderness became a film fixture for decades. But westerns were also popular because their iconography is part of America’s identity. And early westerns presented America as a mythologized place of civilization, possibility, and freedom (mostly for white men). Which comforted audiences.

However, the genre’s ubiquity and ability to be made cheaply provided a great vehicle for critiquing American culture. For example, The Ox-Bow Incident used genre conventions to criticise capital punishment. Self-conscious genre critiques really took hold with the 1960s and 70s Revisionist and Spaghetti Westerns. Directors like Sergio Leone and Sam Peckinpah made the heroic cowboy figure more morally ambiguous. They subverted older stars’ images and created new anti-heroic stars like Clint Eastwood. And they spotlighted America’s ugly history of violence, mirroring American violence in Vietnam. The genre’s image of promoting “American values” during this tumultuous time coupled with competition from big-budget blockbusters led to decreasing appeal. With the genre mostly dying after Heaven’s Gate flopped.

When westerns sparsely re-emerged in the 90s and 2000s it retained star power. With stars like Clint Eastwood and Kevin Costner leading Unforgiven and Dances with Wolves. But elements of deconstruction became central. Whether critiquing the idolization of murderous figures (Unforgiven), the genocide of Native American peoples (Dances with Wolves), or showing the futility of western heroics in a post 9/11 world (No Country for Old Men). Modern westerns (both contemporary and period pieces) no longer projected the US’s mythic image. They explored modern issues and were atoning for the past.

The New Frontier

Modern westerns still attract big stars e.g. Leonardo DiCaprio and Denzel Washington. And those stars’ films rank among the genre’s highest grossers (Django Unchained and Magnificent Seven (2016)). That said other star vehicles have failed spectacularly (The Lone Ranger (2013)). So if returns are unpredictable and star power does not guarantee success why make a western? The answer seemingly lies in their ability to comment on America through its own iconography.

For example, Power of the Dog reframes the western as a place of toxic masculinity and misogyny. Something which reflects the concerns of many in the age of the #MeToo movement. Neo-western The Rider uses the cowboy image to focus on the loss of opportunity in America, which no doubt hits home after events like the housing crash. And The Harder They Fall sought to reclaim the stories of old west figures of colour. A much-needed move after the push for more stories from people of colour that came during the BLM movement.

But along with providing commentary, westerns now give space for diverse new voices. Cheaper productions have allowed a number of independent creatives to have a voice. Where once primarily focused on the white male view (though Spaghetti westerns gave international viewpoints) women are now giving their perspective on genre stories (Meek’s Cutoff, The Rider and Crossing the Line). International talent also continues to be involved (Power of The Dog). Additionally, big westerns are now led by more diverse casts (The Magnificent Seven (2016), The Hateful Eight). And creators of colour are realising their western visions on big scales (The Harder They Fall). Westerns are now a genre showcasing a diverse perspective on America and helping people to reclaim their stories.

A Fistful of Westerns

The western is not what it was, but it is now populated by more diverse voices showing new perspectives on the American experience. The previously exclusionary genre now provides space for evaluation, reflection, and progress which is not bound by budget or financial success. It’s finally a space where all can be seen.

Also Read: Review: The Harder They Fall

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Whether you’re a hero or villain you need a great weapon to help you vanquish your foes. And cinema is full of amazing weaponry. So, today we’re going to look at seven iconic movie weapons, who wielded them and their real-world origins.

Lightsaber (Star Wars Franchise)

The weapon of the most powerful beings in the galaxy far far away, the Sith and the Jedi. Many famous Jedi and Sith have wielded the multi-coloured laser swords. Including Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, his son Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Darth Maul, Ben Solo/Kylo Ren, and Rey. George Lucas decided to include a futuristic sword in the original Star Wars as a symbol of honour and chivalry. And with only a 4×5 camera flash attachment (the hilt), sticks wrapped in reflective material (the blade); the hum of a projector and the buzz captured from a TV set (the sound effects) Lucas and company birthed arguably the most famous movie weapon of all time.

Freddy Krueger’s glove (Nightmare on Elm Street Franchise)

Horror films have created several iconic weapons, some of which we will get into later. But horrors most inventively creepy killing implement is Freddy Krueger’s Razor Glove. Envisioned by director Wes Craven as a throwback to mankind’s primal fear of claws grafted onto modern equipment, not only is Freddy’s glove inventive but its very look is surreal and frightening. Perfectly fitting with the story’s nightmarish aesthetic.

Nunchaku (Bruce Lee Movies)

This traditional Okinawan martial arts training weapon has become a staple of martial arts movies specifically because of Bruce Lee. Bruce used Nunchaku in several of his movies (Enter the Dragon, Way of the Dragon & Game of Death). He wielded them with such speed, grace, and effectiveness that they were transformed in the public’s mind from mere training implements into incredible weapons in their own right.

The Infinity Gauntlet (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

The MCU needed to give its ultimate villain Thanos a weapon that would make an impression on audiences after ten years of build-up. Made of Uru metal, forged by the dwarves of Nidavellir, with a design ripped straight from the original comic and armed with the infinity stones that collectively give the wearer the ability to do practically anything, including wiping out half of all life in the universe, the Infinity Gauntlet is, without doubt, the most destructive weapon on this list.

Chainsaw (Texas Chainsaw Massacre Franchise)

Employing household tools as weapons is a common practice in slasher movies, and this is one of the movies to thank for that. Director Tobe Hooper originally thought of the idea to use a chainsaw as his movie’s weapon when he was wondering how to get out of the busy store and saw a chainsaw in the hardware section. One thing’s certain, audiences have never looked at chainsaws the same way since.

The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch (Monty Python & The Holy Grail)

In 1975, the Pythons gifted us with possibly the silver screens silliest weapon. When confronted with the dreaded Rabbit of Caerbannog, King Arthur and his knights use the Holy Hand Grenade, originally used by Saint Atilla, to destroy the beast. Shaped like the Sovereigns Orb of the United Kingdom there is no better weapon to destroy your beastly foes and satirize religion.

Revolver (Western Genre)

Everyone loves westerns and the one weapon that typifies the western is the revolver. Patented by Samuel Colt (later developed by multiple companies in the 1800s) as a singlehanded firearm, that can be fired several times without reloading. The revolver has become a symbol of the old west gunslinger. A weapon of great destructive capabilities that requires a keen eye and steady hand to master. No Mexican standoff is complete without one.

So ends my list of seven iconic movie weapons. Be sure to fire your suggestions for great movie weapons I missed into the comments.

Also Read: The Best Action Films of the Decade (2010 – 2019)

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What’s Going On?

The film is a set of six stories, all of them macabre, some tragic, some funny and some a bit of both. Typical of the Coens it’s full of dark humour, brief outbursts of violence and unfortunate twists of fate. If these six stories were to sum up the Old West it would be a cruel and brutal place with moments of joy and honour.

Behind The Scenes

The film is written and directed by the filmmaking geniuses of Joel and Ethan Coen and it’s hard to sum their careers easily, multiple oscar winners for films as diverse as The Hudsucker Proxy and No Country For Old Men. While they have had some failures their successes are almost endless. As you may have worked out I am a fan. Westerns are not new to the Coen Brothers, they remade the western classic True Grit and won Oscars for No Country For Old Men which feels like a modern western. Then films like Fargo, Miller’s Crossing and The Man Who Wasn’t There all features tropes of westerns, like morally upright sheriffs, terrifying villains and isolated situations where help will not come from outside. A diverse anthology suits the Coens well and they easily move from the unlucky comic adventures of James Franco to the far more sinister goings on of Liam Neeson’s character in the next story. The Coens have always easily moved between genres, making radical turns to different types of story and so this film feels like it’s summing up their whole career.

In Front Of The Camera

Naturally, as it’s an anthology it’s a big cast, the titular Buster Scruggs is played by Tim Blake Nelson who has a long list of credits on IMDb including one of the central prisoner characters in O Brother Where Art Thou?, but the film also contains Liam Neeson, Brendan Gleeson, James Franco, Tom Waits and more.  Every actor is on good form, and some giving great performances. Tim Blake Nelson sets the bar high from the start and is perfectly cast as someone who looks absolutely harmless but is a thoroughly proficient killing machine, going so far as leading tender sing-alongs in saloons in between brutal murders.

Does It Work?

Obviously, the film has six stories and so some work better than others but all are enjoyable and each deserves time spent on it individually:

The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs

The opening story regarding Buster Scruggs is very entertaining, a man looking like the stereotype of a white hat cowboy turns out to be an incredibly skilled and morally dubious gunman who has an enjoyably eloquent and on the surface exceedingly friendly way of speaking. This story distils just about every western cliche of the expert gunslinger into one short story.

Near Algodones & Meal Ticket

The weakest stories are Near Algodones and Meal Ticket. The first concerns James Franco, a less than successful bank robber (featuring a scene-stealing appearance by wonderful character actor Stephen Root, you may not know his name but I guarantee you’ve seen him) and is the most overly comedic of the stories. Meal Ticket is a horrendously dark story about the cynical calculations of a person’s value to another and what happens when they look elsewhere for opportunity. But even these stories have their charm and I was always engaged and interested, eager to know what would happen to the multitude of characters.

All Gold Canyon

A surprisingly enthralling performance by the musician Tom Waits, playing an aged prospector digging for gold, where he talks largely to himself and “Mr. Pocket” showing determination and a great amount of grit. The idea of Tom Waits’ digging holes and talking to himself sounds boring but it was one of the better stories with you becoming very invested in whether he succeeds or fails.

The Gal Who Got Rattled

The oddest and most difficult to pigeonhole is Zoe Kazan as Alice in The Gal Who Got Rattled, a story that starts as unrelentingly bleak with the occasional hopeful moment. Alice and her less than useful or reliable brother had joined a wagon train heading for Oregon and they are beset with the problems such a journey brings, admittedly most of them falling on Alice. This story features a great character turn around with a barely even acknowledged character jumping into the thick of things.

The Mortal Remains

Finally, the last story The Mortal Remains – five people riding together on a stagecoach, for half of the story nearly all the talking is done by three people on one side, strangers, they are arguing about the nature of love and relationships until the pair opposite explain their rather sinister profession. The pair played by Brendan Gleeson and Jongo O’Neil are bounty hunters, but not your typical bounty hunters. O’Neil is brilliant simultaneously terrifying and enticing the other passengers by telling them how he goes about his job and the importance of storytelling. Any film, play or book that talks about storytelling are intentionally inviting a lot of analysis, what exactly is going on? Is everything as it seems? Why is he telling this story to these people?

In Summary…

The film is funny, moving, tragic and more, and what’s more, it looks amazing, whether it’s Buster Scrugg’s in his brilliant white outfit or the breathtaking scenery in. I think by its very nature an anthology is not going to be as satisfying as one great feature-length film but these are six great stories. Perhaps the best compliment I can give this film is that it has stuck in my mind. Since watching it I’ve been replaying the stories in my mind, thinking about the characters, analysing what happened and what they meant. If it turned out the Coens had recorded another six stories but cut them from the film I would happily watch them straight away.

Verdict: (4 / 5)

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