Joel and Ethan Coen take aim at mortality in the Old West in “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.”

Originally designed as a Netflix limited series “Ballad” has been trimmed down to a feature film with six short stories that bring out everything we’ve come to expect from the Academy Award winning filmmakers.

All six stories take place in the Old West, but each feature a unique vision ranging from the sublime (with Tim Blake Nelson playing a singing cowboy in a segment that feels sort of an ‘O Brother Where Art Thou?’ in the West) to the poignant (an emotional story that features Liam Neeson as a traveling showman with an armless, legless main attraction).

Other stories feature James Franco as a bank robber, Tom Waits as a gold prospector, Zoe Kazan as a single woman on an expedition to Oregon and Jonjo O’Neill and Brendan Gleeson as bounty hunters.

Each story brings its own unique voice, with Bruno Delbonnel’s stunning cinematography giving each segment its own specific look. 

The Coens whisk through these stories in impressive fashion as the tone shifts from darkly comical to unexpectedly violent – sometimes in the same scene. This shifts aren’t easy to pull off, but the Coens make it look effortless – crafting a film that never missteps.

The impressive cast is allowed to shine in limited screen time. Kazan’s work is perhaps the best of the film, but Neeson, Franco, and Waits are also standouts – each bring added depth to characters the audience are only allowed to spend a brief time with.

Anthologies movies can be tricky, especially if one chapter is significantly weaker than the others, but that isn’t the case with “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.” Mainly because the Coens are such master filmmakers they know when to move things along to the next chapter, giving audiences just enough to have an emotional investment in a story but not overstaying its welcome at any point.

The result is a film that might not be on the same level as the Coens best work, but it’s definitely just a notch below that bar.

Starring: Liam Neeson, James Franco

Directed by: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

Rating: R for some strong violence

Playing at: Available on Netflix Friday

Grade: A-