The General

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Bradley S Only took me 52 years to see this film. Brilliant, particularly that it was produced almost a century ago. The awesome visual comedy aside, the movie stands alone as an action movie, the production of which would have been epic in its time. An absolute delight from start to finish. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/20/25 Full Review DanTheMan 2 A seamless blend of action and comedy, exploring a man's love for the humble locomotive, The General is currently the only film I've ever seen from Buster Keaton. Featuring gags that are as much artful exercises in stuntwork and timing as they are orchestrated attempts at humour; the fact that they work so well is both a testament to Keaton's brilliance as a filmmaker and performer, crafting a character who is stoical, determined and preternaturally straight-faced as chaos reigns around him. The wind whips through Buster's hair while smoky pine-covered hills rise and fall around him, it's a film that never tries to be beautiful, instead, its beauty is in its functionality. It doesn't flaunt its virtues and like Keaton's concise, deadpan and economical performance, it holds a great deal in reserve, it never forces a response from the audience, never manipulates and never overplays, even the famous shot of the bridge collapse is seriously downplayed, an impressive effect for sure and one that most filmmakers would hold on for a longer time. That's ballsy of Keaton and I can only respect him for it, like a train itself, The General rarely ever slows down, barreling from one hair-raising and frequently hilarious set-piece to the next at the speed of an express. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/12/25 Full Review Alexsander F Que filme lindo! Muito divertido, dos tempos románticos do cinema mundial, tempos esses que nunca vão voltar. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/10/25 Full Review Ronnie M I came here for the over-the-budget train scene that put a damper in Buster Keatons career. Love this movie. The stunts looked very dangerous Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/25/24 Full Review Brennan W Im not the biggest fan of silent films. Especially ones that come out a hundred years ago. This film however was a good not great time and I still very much enjoyed myself while watching it. Overall the characters in the film do what they are supposed to to keep the film moving but at the same time, I found myself caring for them and wanting them to succeed. The film also gets into some serious material that has a lot of effects on the people watching it. It speaks a lot about the roles of people and the film industry and I found that to be very interesting. Overall I did enjoy this film and for a silent film that came out a hundred years ago it was something I had a good time watching. I would recommend this to some people because someone like my friends who aren't crazy into films wouldn't enjoy this. However I could see me film friends really getting something out of this. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 12/20/24 Full Review Javier M I have always not been too fond of silent films, I am not its biggest fanatic, particularly due to how boring they might be at times. Though this is clearly an exception, The General is not only an exception, it is an engaging film that can have you on the edge of your seat. I really njoyed this work from Buster Keaton, it is extremely thrilling, especially the train chase sequences. It is also filled with such great stunts, Keaton really put himself through a lot to get this done and some specific shots done, but it pays off well as they are the highlight of the film. These stunts make the film even more of an edge of your seat type of watch. I really do enjoy just how much Keaton perfectly blends humor with thrilling moments in such a perfect way, they fit here, Keaton’s character is at many times, involved in comedic sequences and also in ones filled with suspense. You just want to root for Keaton’s character especially after what happens to him at the beginning, he’s not accepted to enroll due to being deemed as too valuable for his work, though others think he’s a failure and didn’t want to enroll. Obviously, at the end, he earns the right to join after having gone through so much, he also proves himself to be valuable as he informs the generals of incoming attacks he spotted. Overall, this is a stand out of the silent film era, its approach to stunts, thrilling sequences have a very modern feel to it, the train sequence in particular is one to remember. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 12/20/24 Full Review Read all reviews

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