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      Cops

      Released Mar 11, 1922 22m Comedy List
      Reviews 89% 500+ Ratings Audience Score A series of mishaps results in a young man being chased by the entire city's police force. Read More Read Less

      Audience Reviews

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      Christopher B While Buster Keaton never thought much of "Cops" it has become one of the greatest comedy two-reelers of all time! The film is another chase film but this time there are literally dozens and dozens of cops giving chase to Buster after another series of unfortunate events. The idea of Buster evading literally a town of cops in athletic superiority is almost like watching a culmination of Buster's entity as the confident and always one step ahead being that he had become. The ending, which I won't spoil, isn't the traditional "happy ending" and is hilarious for being so! The film consists of a setup first reel that is still gag filled but slower in it's build up that leads and adds to the second reel in which the full chase takes place. While not consistently frantic the whole film the buildup is definitely the reason the second half is so brilliant! Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 08/19/22 Full Review Audience Member I've wanted to go back to look at classic movies and had been curious for a while about the work of vaudeville comics starting with one of the greats. With his 1922 picture Cops, a very sprawling picture of a young man trying to figure somethings out. Clever comedy with a courageous storyteller with a story unlike any I've ever seen but will leave you wanting more in the best possible way. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review sean l Stream of consciousness hilarity from Buster Keaton and a few of his favorite collaborators. Despite the title, Cops only briefly involves the police. Most of its eighteen-minute runtime is spent tailgating an enterprising young man on his quest for a quick buck, observing from a distance as he stumbles over a number of too-good-to-be-true business opportunities and repeatedly, naïvely, compounds his troubles. By the end of the picture, he carries a long tail of inevitable repercussions, a year's worth of fallout for one short afternoon's flighty misadventure, and that's where the grand, climactic police chase comes in. Young Keaton's not a total dunce - in fact, his impulsive shrewdness provides one of the film's first big laughs (not to mention a serious bankroll) - he's just self-centered and oblivious to the max. This sense of ignorant innocence rears its head constantly, usually to the detriment of the innocent parties who happen to cross his path, and it always hits its comedic mark. Keaton's effortless in the act, averting his eyes to fluff a pillow or light a cigarette while he KOs a poor traffic cop and ruins a large-scale parade. Buying into this act is essential, as his seemingly well-intentioned character would probably come off as a real jerk if we believed he'd done any of it on purpose. Instead, he's more like a cursed dreamer who can't outrun his own fate. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review william d Eighteen of the funniest minutes ever put on film. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review kevin w Fans of the movie "The Blues Brothers" will no doubt admire that one of their fav chase films has as one of its roots the diminutive and rarely spoken Joseph Keaton (who himself was not too enamored of this greatest of chases ... all done on foot) no less. Through no fault of his own, all while no angel himself, our hero finds himself a subject of not just an all points bulletin, but an all personnel police department parade. How can he hope to escape? And yet he does hope. Great cinema! Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Entertaining feats. An example of how movies used to include impressive circus-like performances. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Critics Reviews

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      Josh Larsen LarsenOnFilm ...fairly dark, while still being very funny. Rated: 3/4 Feb 23, 2022 Full Review Robert E. Sherwood LIFE In Cops, Keaton develops the old police-chase idea to the nth power by staging his antics in the midst of a police parade, and the resultant mob effect is as stupendous as anything in Mr. Fox's spectacles. Oct 7, 2021 Full Review Dan Jardine All Movie Guide Buster Keaton's brilliantly subversive two-reeler film boils with frantic anarchic hilarity. Rated: 4/5 Sep 26, 2001 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis A series of mishaps results in a young man being chased by the entire city's police force.
      Director
      Buster Keaton, Edward F. Cline
      Screenwriter
      Edward F. Cline, Buster Keaton
      Genre
      Comedy
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Mar 11, 1922, Original
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Jan 8, 2017
      Runtime
      22m