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History Film / TheBalladOfBusterScruggs

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* ThereAreTwoKindsOfPeopleInTheWorld: According to the woman in "The Mortal Remains", they are "Upright and Not Upright." For the Englishman and the Irishman, it's "Dead or Alive."

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* ThereAreTwoKindsOfPeopleInTheWorld: According to the woman in "The Mortal Remains", they are "Upright and Not Upright." The other passengers take turns illustrating their own view on things: for the Frenchman, there are the lucky and the unlucky, for the Trapper, there is himself and everyone else. For the Englishman and the Irishman, it's "Dead or Alive."" The subtext of the scene is that the three souls are coming to terms with each of their own worldviews and how their lives have gone as they cross over.
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** The Englishman in "Mortal Remains" admits to enjoying watching people die, specifically the look in their eyes. He's also quite a cheery fellow and a lovely singer. His Irish partner shares the same breezy and amiable disposition.
* AfterlifeExpress: It is strongly implied that, in [[spoiler: "The Mortal Remains", the stagecoach in which the passengers are riding]] may be this.

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** The Englishman in "Mortal "The Mortal Remains" admits to enjoying watching people die, specifically the look in their eyes. He's also quite a cheery fellow and a lovely singer. His Irish partner shares the same breezy and amiable disposition.
* AfterlifeExpress: It is strongly implied that, in that [[spoiler: "The Mortal Remains", the stagecoach in which the passengers are riding]] riding in "The Mortal Remains"]] may be this.
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* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: Buster Scruggs lives by this trope, which is all the more noticeable because a) he freely mixes big words and elaborate verbiage with informal grammar and speech patterns and b)he's surrounded by terse and unlettered cowboys and outlaws, who speak in a much more stereotypical style for a western.

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* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: Buster Scruggs lives by this trope, which is all the more noticeable because a) he freely mixes big words and elaborate verbiage with informal grammar and speech patterns and b)he's b) he's surrounded by terse and unlettered cowboys and outlaws, who speak in a much more stereotypical style for a western.



* ShownTheirWork: "The Gal Who Got Rattled" never explains it, but when Miss Longabaugh states that her brother had fixed political beliefs, Billy Knapp correctly deduces that he's a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doughface doughface]] (a Northern sympathizer of the South) because his dog is named for President Franklin Pierce, a noted doughface.

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* ShownTheirWork: "The Gal Who Got Rattled" never explains it, but when Miss Longabaugh states that her brother had fixed political beliefs, Billy Knapp correctly deduces that he's a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doughface doughface]] (a Northern sympathizer of the South) because his dog is named for President Franklin Pierce, UsefulNotes/FranklinPierce, a noted doughface.



** With many treks through the wilderness between towns with only the helpless Artist to judge him, nobody would be the wiser if the Impresario [[spoiler:simply abandoned him as dead weight. Eventually, that's exactly what he does - and makes sure he sinks deep in the river just to be sure.]]

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** With many treks through the wilderness between towns with only the helpless Artist to judge him, nobody would be the wiser if the Impresario [[spoiler:simply abandoned him as dead weight. Eventually, that's exactly what he does - does-- and makes sure he sinks deep in the river just to be sure.]]
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** [[spoiler:The Prospector in "All Gold Canyon"]] pretends to be dead after [[spoiler:being shot in the back by a man who had sneaked into his digging path to steal the gold. Once the skunk jumps into the hole to steal the gold, the Prospector then begins to attack the man, dazing him with dirt, then steals his gun and kills him.]]

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** [[spoiler:The Prospector in "All Gold Canyon"]] pretends to be dead after [[spoiler:being shot in the back by a man who had sneaked snuck into his digging path to steal the gold. Once the skunk jumps into the hole to steal the gold, collect, the Prospector then begins to attack the man, attacks him, dazing him with dirt, then steals his gun and kills him.]]



* HardWorkHardlyWorks: In "All Gold Canyon", it's revealed that a man has been following the Prospector letting him do all the hard work in finding the gold so that he can kill him and steal it once he's found. [[spoiler: Subverted; the Prospector isn't seriously wounded when the man shoots him, plays possum, and gets the drop on the man, killing him.]]

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* HardWorkHardlyWorks: In "All Gold Canyon", it's revealed that a man has been following the Prospector Prospector, letting him do all the hard work in finding the gold so that he can kill him and steal it once he's it's found. [[spoiler: Subverted; the Prospector isn't seriously wounded when the man shoots him, plays possum, and gets the drop on the man, killing him.]]



* ImmediateSelfContradiction: Buster Scruggs claims not to hate his fellow man, even when they do bad things - because he believes [[HumansAreBastards doing bad things is human nature]], and anyone who believes otherwise is "a fool for expecting better".

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* ImmediateSelfContradiction: Buster Scruggs claims not to hate his fellow man, even when they do bad things - things-- because he believes [[HumansAreBastards doing bad things is human nature]], and anyone who believes otherwise is "a fool for expecting better".



* MarriageOfConvenience: Billy Knapp's proposal to Alice includes a very honest account of his reasons for doing so, and how it is to both of their advantages even though they've only known each other since the start of the wagon train. However, there is every indication that they would actually be very well-matched to each other (far better than Alice could have realistically hoped for), and the fact that they can imagine (as a lower priority than the practicalities) that they might find "comfort" together means MarriageBeforeRomance is on the cards.

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* MarriageOfConvenience: Billy Knapp's proposal to Alice includes a very honest account of his reasons for doing so, and how it is to both of their advantages advantages, even though they've only known each other since the start of the wagon train. However, there is every indication that they would actually be very well-matched to each other (far better than Alice could have realistically hoped for), and the fact that they can their ability to imagine (as a lower priority than the practicalities) that they might find "comfort" together means MarriageBeforeRomance is on in the cards.



*** The coachmen, who the Englishman says never stops as "policy," never reveals his face, wears black and drives four black horses.

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*** The coachmen, who the Englishman says never stops as "policy," never reveals his face, wears black black, and drives four black horses.
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* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: Buster Scruggs is a "singing cowboy" in the vein of Creator/RoyRogers and similar actors in the cowboy craze of TheForties and TheFifties (which was also homaged by the Coens through the character of Hobie Brown in their earlier ''Film/HailCaesar''). Placed in the universe of a not-meant-to-be-child-friendly "realistic" Western movie, he comes across as a maniac, and ''that'' is without taking into account the barrage of senseless murders he commits (he's quick to say that he "doesn't hates his fellow man" as his WantedPoster claims he does, but he sure does look like TheSociopath if he leads a whole saloon into a sing-and-dance number right after he killed a guy).

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* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: Buster Scruggs is a "singing cowboy" in the vein of Creator/RoyRogers and similar actors in the cowboy craze of TheForties and TheFifties (which was also homaged by the Coens through the character of Hobie Brown in their earlier ''Film/HailCaesar''). Placed in the universe of a not-meant-to-be-child-friendly "realistic" Western movie, he comes across as a maniac, and ''that'' is without taking into account the barrage of senseless murders he commits (he's quick to say that he "doesn't hates hate his fellow man" as his WantedPoster claims he does, but he sure does look like TheSociopath if when he leads a whole saloon into in a sing-and-dance song-and-dance number right after he killed a guy).
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** Buster Scruggs himself is a rather goofy singing cowboy in a dapper white suit. Nobody would suspect that he's one of the fastest and most agile gunslingers in the country from looking at him or speaking to him.

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** Buster Scruggs himself is a rather goofy singing cowboy in a dapper white suit. Nobody would suspect that he's one of the fastest and fastest, most agile agile, and [[BewareTheSillyOnes most sadistic]] gunslingers in the country from looking at him or speaking to him.
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* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: [[spoiler:After being shot directly through the forehead, Buster's only reaction is miled confusion, followed by a casual "well, that ain't good."]]

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* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: [[spoiler:After being shot directly through the forehead, Buster's only reaction is miled mild confusion, followed by a casual "well, that ain't good."]]
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** Buster Scruggs himself is a rather goofy singing cowboy in a dapper white suit. Nobody would suspect that he's one of the most fast and agile gunslingers in the country from looking at him or speaking to him.

to:

** Buster Scruggs himself is a rather goofy singing cowboy in a dapper white suit. Nobody would suspect that he's one of the fastest and most fast and agile gunslingers in the country from looking at him or speaking to him.
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* ZanyCartoon: Buster Scruggs' story runs on cartoon logic. His shooting skills are implausibly wacky, his echoes harmonize with him as he sings his way through the country, and one of the more memorable gags has Buster pat himself off, leaving a [[MotionLines cloud of dust in the shape of his own body]] hanging in the air as he steps out of it. He's basically a deconstructed ScrewballSquirrel sort of character, whose wacky gags result in real blood and an actual body count.

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* ZanyCartoon: Buster Scruggs' story runs on cartoon logic. His shooting skills are implausibly wacky, his echoes harmonize with him as he sings his way through the country, and one of the more memorable gags has Buster pat himself off, leaving a [[MotionLines [[BriffitsAndSqueans cloud of dust in the shape of his own body]] hanging in the air as he steps out of it. He's basically a deconstructed ScrewballSquirrel sort of character, whose wacky gags result in real blood and an actual body count.
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Added DiffLines:

* WorthyOpponent: The man in black shows a great deal of respect for Buster when he challenges him to a shoot-out, and Buster shows no ill will towards the younger man [[spoiler:after he kills him, calmly remarking "can't be top dog forever".]]

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