User reviews

What struck me most about this famous Buster Keaton short was not the overall entertainment value or the big chase scene at the end, but Keaton's amazing strength and physical prowess! This guy was incredible. He must have been an extremely strong, little man, an athlete with muscles like an Olympic gymnast. His feats on the ladder in this film show what I'm talking about here. He didn't use doubles in his films; this guy had not only comedic talent but astonishing physical strength and coordination.

As for the film overall, it was okay but not as super as I had hoped after reading a number of reviews saying this could be Keaton's best. Up to the last quarter of the film, nothing much happened. Virginia Fox, who I like, got second billing but her role was very minor in here.

The last five minutes of this two-reeler involve the famous chase scene where up to 100 cops wind up pursuing our hero. It was that kind of a day for "The Young Man" (Buster) when nothing, but nothing, went right for him!

Lying in bed with a sore throat, I needed some cheering up. Buster Keaton didn't let me down. 'Cops (1922)' is generally typical of the comedian's two-reelers of the early 1920s, though with a lesser emphasis on the ingenious gadgets exhibited in 'One Week (1920)' and 'The High Sign (1921).' The film opens with Keaton apparently looking through prison bars at his sweetheart, until a clarifying shot reveals that it is merely the girl's front gate {Harold Lloyd seized this visual gag for the opening of 'Safety Last! (1923),' but he had a right to it – one scene in Keaton's film, whether unintentionally or not, resembles the manner in which a prop explosion decapitated Lloyd's hand in 1919}. After convincing himself to become a businessman, Keaton's Young Man goes on to show that he has the worst luck in the world. First, he is bamboozled into purchasing another family's furniture (by Steve Murphy, the pickpocket in Chaplin's 'The Circus (1928)'), and then gets caught up in a police parade, where, ever a victim of circumstance, he is wrongly accused of performing an act of terrorism.

Keaton loved ending his film's with an overblown chase sequence, whether it be the stampeding cattle in 'Go West (1925)' or the stampeding women in 'Seven Chances (1925).' In 'Cops,' our hero is pursued by hundreds of uniformed policemen, swinging batons and tripping over themselves. Here, Keaton really earns his title as the "Great Stone Face." The chaos and confusion of the pursuit is amusing enough, but even more so is Keaton's extraordinary lack of facial expression – he just runs, staring blankly ahead, like a man who expects his problems to dissipate as soon as he wakes up. Also incredible is the performer's physical dexterity, as he flips back and forth over a tall ladder balanced precariously on either side of a fence. Also watch out for Keaton regular Joe Roberts as the Police Chief, and recurring co-star Virginia Fox in a disappointingly brief role as our hero's love interest. Even an aching throat can't dampen the chuckles in this excellent comedy short. If laughter is, indeed, the best medicine, then I should be better by the morning.

A series of mishaps manages to make a young man get chased by a big city's entire police force.

This is not my favorite Keaton film, or even my favorite Keaton short. It is not quite on the level of "One Week", for example. But it still has some of those great physical gags that Keaton was known for (the see-saw on the fence is vintage Keaton).

There is some question over whether or not the dynamite is a reference to Harold Lloyd. I have my doubts on that, but who knows? Either way it is interesting to have an anarchist in the plot. Audiences today (2015) may not fully appreciate how ubiquitous stories of anarchists were when this film came out, and it was actually a timely joke.

This seems to be Buster Keaton's most popular short film. I prefer his films with more cinematically based comedy, such as in "The Playhouse", "The Frozen North" and "Sherlock, Jr.", but "Cops" is a very entertaining little film. It features a large comedic chase--chases, especially involving policemen, being one of the most regularly reoccurring devices in Keaton's oeuvre, especially in his two-reelers. Cops chased Keaton in "Convict 13", "Neighbors", "Hard Luck", "The Goat" and--in an escalated chase very similar to that in "Cops"--"Daydreams". My favorite Keaton chase, by the way, is the chase of the brides in "Seven Chances".

The comedic chase has a long cinema tradition, perhaps dating back to James Williamson's "Stop Thief!" (1901) or "Chinese Laundry Scene" (1895), the latter of which was based on a vaudeville act. Then, there were the Pathé comedies and those of Mack Sennett's Keystone, which were greatly derived from them. Keaton came from vaudeville and worked under one of the premiere early comedians, Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, to begin his on screen career, so he was fully immersed in this tradition.

In "Cops", there are some good visual jokes that rely on film technique, such as following a close shot of Keaton behind bars with a reverse long shot that clarifies the opening scene. Keaton's mechanical inventiveness is demonstrated during the horse carriage sequence. And, there's plenty of physical comedy during the great chase finale. Keaton's sense of matured, restrained comedy is also important here, which is perhaps best characterized by his retained stoic expression throughout any chaotic misadventure. "Cops" is rather representative of Keaton's refined sense of what's funny and of his advanced understanding of film-making.

COPS (First National, 1922), written and directed by Buster Keaton and Eddie Cline, presents deadpan comedian Buster Keaton in one of his most entertaining and true classic comedy shorts ever produced for the silent screen. Not quite a tribute to the police force in general, COPS is somewhat reminiscent to the Mack Sennett day of "Keystone Kops" that starts off pure and simple, building up to a great big police chase after poor innocent Buster.

Although famed magician Harry Houdini is not in this photo-play, he gets to have his quote, "Love laughs at locksmiths" as its opening title. Next scene introduces Buster in traditional pork-pie hat as a hapless failure who attempts to make good as a successful businessman for the sake of the girl (Virginia Fox) he hopes to marry. Through no fault of his own, trouble always seems to follow him wherever he goes. After finding a wallet on the street, he attempts to return it to its rightful owner (Joe Roberts) having taken off in a taxi. By the time the owner realizes his wallet is gone, he has the driver turn back. He retrieves the wallet but finds the money gone, and Buster as well, who has taken off in the man's taxi. Later spotted by a con-man, Buster is duped to buying his furniture by giving him a sob story about being evicted when in fact the furniture rightfully belongs to a family man about to move to a new location. Mistaken as the mover, Buster has the man's possessions placed on a horse cart and given the address (4 Flushing Place) where his things are to be sent. After having some horse trouble, Buster unwittingly makes the wrong turn on the street where the annual Policeman's Day Parade is taking place. Trouble lurks, leading to a confusion and a chase around the city between Buster and the thousands of men in blue ("Get some cops to protect our policemen"), particularly one who happens to be the owner of the misplaced furniture.

Next to Keaton's earlier effort, ONE WEEK (1920), COPS is a masterpiece that continues to generate laughter. The plot is slight, and like his contemporary Charlie Chaplin, the gags are generous, carefully planned, timed and staged, making this two-reeler (20 minute) comedy move at a very fast pace. Robert Youngson, producer of great compilation films of THE GOLDEN AGE OF COMEDY (1957) and DAYS OF THRILLS AND LAUGHTER (1961), used highlights of COPS into his excellent presentation of WHEN COMEDY WAS KING (1960). During the 1970s, COPS turned up occasionally on public television, notably in "The Silent Comedy Film Festival" that aired on WNET, Channel 13 in New York City around 1973, accompanied by piano score. COPS was later used for its concluding 20 minutes to another PBS series, "Sprockets" in the 1980s, following its presentation of Buster Keaton's feature length comedy, STEAMBOAT BILL Jr. (1928). The print of COPS used in "Sprockets," included a different piano accompaniment than the one heard in the 1970s, but missing few minutes of footage midway as Buster takes his slow moving horse to Dr. Smith Goat Glan Specialist to later come out in full speed. Also in the 1980s, known as the dawn of home video, a complete VHS copy of COPS became available through Blackhawk Films (The Killian Collection) with organ score by Gaylord Carter, double featured with another Keaton's short, THE BLACKSMITH (1922).

COPS is one of those comedies that would make a great introduction of Keaton's work to film students. Could a film like COPS ever lose its appeal? The answer is yes, though through no fault of Keaton nor the movie itself. What could make COPS unbearable to sit through would be to have it accompanied by poor music score. While Turner Classic Movies holds a great record for its dedication of motion picture history, ranging from restoring prints and resurrecting long forgotten silent movies with new scores, some great, others satisfactory, COPS, along with other Keaton silents on TCM, have sadly become the victim of very poor scoring, taking away Keaton's achievement to great comedy. Had Keaton's films been fortunate as the Harold Lloyd comedies to have the great scoring by Robert Israel, then, no doubt about it, COPS would be tops. (****)

Arguably Buster Keaton's finest two-reeler, Cops is the perfect distillation of the appeal of this gifted artist. One cannot help but feel great sympathy for the lead character, all the while laughing at his unfortunate circumstances. Yet in the midst of being suckered out of his (stolen) fortune and finding himself wrongly suspected of an act of terrorism, Buster never for a minute expresses a hint of self pity. He brilliantly deals with the circumstances as they unfold while his face exudes a calmness and confidence that seem quite contradictory to the madness that surrounds him. See how he calmly handles finding himself in the middle of a giant parade of police officers and how he nonchalantly lights his cigarette with a terrorist's bomb. The audience breathlessly tries to keep up with Keaton as he navigates an obstacle course strewn with hundreds of well-choreographed cops. With impeccable timing he seems to improvise his way through it using the many tools available to him, most notably his quick wit. Every second of this film is wonderfully entertaining. The ending is typical Keaton - satisfying and very funny. This is the perfect introduction to Buster Keaton and silent films in general.

'Cops (1922)' is one of Keaton's weaker shorts primarily because it isn't as charming or as funny. As such, it isn't as entertaining. It doesn't rely on 'skits' as much as his other work, even those with a relatively strong narrative, and just sort of feels like an extended chase, in a way, even when no-one is being chased. The main character makes several odd choices that don't allow him to be all that likeable. He's also a straight-up thief, as well as an inadvertent one. Don't get me wrong, though, there are several stand-out moments and the piece is generally rather enjoyable. It's ending is rushed and a little downbeat - as is the whole thing, in a way - but there's enough technical achievement and acrobatic wonder throughout to put a smile on your face. I mean, the number of people involved in its crowd sequences is staggering. I kind of wish the overall effect was a little better because there are some really strong moments here. It isn't bad but, as I said, it didn't grip me as much as Keaton's other work. 6/10

We just don't have as much of this light, albeit subversive humor anymore. So in order to catch a new generation up, show 'em this short. It's packed with about as much running, bumbling cops as possible.

Keaton plays a man trying to become a business man to, you guessed it, win the affections of the beautiful young woman. Unfortunately, a series of misunderstandings and mishaps frames him as a bomb-yielding terrorist, and a parade (literally) of cops eager to hunt him down.

The humor is massive... if you'll excuse the pun. This short makes a delightful little companion piece to Seven Chances, only replacing the tide of pursuing brides-to-be with the just as eager and possibly more dangerous avalanche of an entire city's police force (of which Keaton manages to suitably tie up and lock down, of course).

It's known as one of his strongest shorts, and I must put my vote in the mix (even though I think The playhouse is his strongest short of all).

--PolarisDiB

Cops is perhaps Buster's best short. It's my favorite, at any rate, and that's saying something, because as great as many of his features from the 20s were, his two-reelers were probably his best work. In them he perfected the least sentimental of his personas: an opportunistic, somewhat roguish chap, who doesn't mind getting into a scrape over a girl or a bit of a scam, but who usually manages to get out of it with his wit, athleticism and charm.

Keaton invented so much of cinema as we know it today, and rarely gets credit for it, so you really should seek out and watch as much of his pictures from the 1920s as you can.

When I read about "Cops", I got led to believe that the whole movie was a giant chase scene. It turns out that the chase is mostly confined to the last couple of minutes. But those last couple of minutes are pretty wacky! In this case, Buster Keaton tries to find a job but accidentally steals some money and causes a massive police chase. I can imagine that they probably had some fun filming some of the scenes.

I actually got the feeling that this movie may have been a semi-sequel to Keaton's previous movie "The Playhouse", in which he and the woman look like they're running off to get married at the end. This one begins with her telling him to get a job or she won't marry him.

Whether or not it was, this is still a pretty funny movie.

While this doesn't feature too many of the mind-blowing and death-defying stunts that Buster Keaton was known for - don't get me wrong, there are a couple, one involving a small bomb that Buster uses to light a cigarette before discarding in front of some cops, and there's a bit with a ladder that he gets stuck on between two sides of cops after him - it's an excellent example of making comedy out of a chase. A lot of people will say physical comedy would be nothing without the chase sequence, and it's in that in mind that Cops is essential viewing.

It's not a chase through the whole film, and the majority of the cops of the title aren't there until halfway through; this is actually about Buster trying to impress a girl by becoming a 'good businessman', and how he does that is use a (ahem) wallet he happened to lift, sort of accidentally, from some town mayor, and uses the money to help out a family moving their stuff over town. He (sort of) helps pack up a cart and has to go with the horse across town. Not necessarily easy, one sees, when the horse is slow as hell. Maybe some goat gland therapy (?!) will do the trick, and maybe too well as case turns out.

The reason to see this isn't for the story and Keaton and co-director Kline know that, so it's really jam-packed with energy: seeing Buster run, even at the sped-up film speed, is exhilarating, especially when seeing how it's choreographed with the hundreds (I'd say that's a fair estimation) of cops chasing after Buster once he happens upon a city-wide cop parade. There's always time for a gag where Buster hides in a trunk (or gets caught in one), and how he manages to slip out and keep moving may be ridiculous, but there's always some logic to it, whether it's more cartoonish at times than others.

I think the key thing with Cops is that we're fully on Buster's side, though the Cops of the title make for splendid foils and characters for Buster to play off of; when he is being chased by one cop, he tries to hide behind another cop directing traffic, and the cop hits the other instead of Buster. Classic move, and yet while we're often told to respect the police and be nice and yada yada, Keaton knows that with him in the lead there's no way we don't want to see him f*** with them at least a little. It's a joy to behold how this man acts and directs this, leading up to an ending that might almost be bittersweet if it wasn't all so perfectly silly.

Each film of Buster Keaton, for me, is support of reflection. "Cops" is not a reflection. But a sketch about motifs, choices, situations and fine art of birth of comedy. A film about manner to survive to adversary situations. And to build a form of happiness in the most inspired manner. The furniture, the horse, the cops and the innocent victim of unhappy situations are good pieces of a realistic and profound useful portrait of near reality. The same after almost a century.

Although I love SEVEN CHANCES and PLAY HOUSE, COPS might just be Buster Keaton's best short film--and is a joy to behold. Unlike his full-length films, this one is relatively short on plot but it still works out perfectly--making this one of the very best silent shorts period--as good as anything Lloyd or Chaplin made.

Buster is having probably the worst day imaginable, as again and again and again, things go wrong that make this ordinary guy one of the most wanted people in America--and resulting in hundreds and hundreds of extras dressed as cops chasing him though the film. What makes this all work so well is that again and again wonderful sight gags and stunts all work perfectly and come with such fast timing that you almost have no time to breathe. Because it is so visual, it's best not to even try describing the action--you just have to see it to believe it. And, if you are a serious fan of silent comedy you MUST see this film. If you are not, then you must see it anyway, as you are in for a treat and even the biggest curmudgeon can't help but laugh!

For it's time the short film is really good, and a lot of the jokes and humor in the film still hold today and provided me with a few laughs. One of the best examples of early film.

It's a clever short in one of Buster Keatons earlier films. The gags are his trademark and they are still impressive with how slick and seemingly effortless he pulls them off. Which showcases the talent Buster had which would establish his name in cinema.

Really no complaints for a film of its time. I wouldn't criticize a 100 year old film for being flawed in design. It's actually quite astounding to watch practical stunts being executed for what would be a challenge today.

I rate this a 7/10 based on my own preferences, enjoyment, and standard I hold from countless other films made after this short and what they achieved.

Still, it's a fun watch.

One of the biggest chase scenes I've ever seen captured on a camera and many brilliant gags make Cops one of the funniest shorts Buster has ever seen. It has all that made a comedic genius for Buster Keaton: his signature crazy stunts, his elaborate sight gags, and his clever physical comedy. It's not one of his best, neccassarily, but it's one of his most funny and enjoyable.

Time and again writers/directors will insert personal stories or feelings into their movies with a loose resemblance to their actual circumstances. Buster Keaton was no exception. He addresses the events where his friend, Roscoe Arbuckle, was defending his reputation in the midst of manslaughter charges for a woman who was found dying in his San Francisco hotel suite. The short comedy, March 1922's "Cops" immediately establishes in the opening scene how an innocent man can be portrayed as committing an illegal act. Keaton attempts to return a man's dropped wallet. But instead of being thanked he gets slapped around because the wallet's owner thought Buster was pickpocketing him. Through a series of later misunderstandings, Keaton finds himself driving a cartful of furniture in the middle of a parade honoring the city police. He becomes the target of the men in blue for a situation he has no idea what his crime is all about.

"Cops" illustrates how an innocent person can become ensnared by the judicial system despite what an honest explanation could offer to solve the misunderstanding. Edward F. Cline, a former Keystone Studio scriptwriter beginning in 1914 who wrote gags for Charlie Chaplin and Fatty Arbuckle, was instrumental in helping Keaton come up with the outrageous sequences in both "My Wife's Relations" and in "Cops." The two continued to work as a brilliant team throughout remainder of Buster's short films.

Have always tried to appreciate all kinds of comedy, though admittedly more so than others (i.e. preferring the witty, sophisticated kind of comedy over the crude humour seen a lot these days). For me, Buster Keaton was and still is one of the best in this regard. He was a very daring and athletic performer with brilliant comic timing and one of the very few people alive or dead to make deadpan, a very acquired taste style usually and how well it has been done has widly varied, work incredibly.

'Cops' may not be one of Keaton's very best, it's not quite 'The General', 'Steamboat Bill Jr', 'Sherlock Jr', 'The Cameraman' and 'The Scarecrow'. As far as his generally never less than very entertaining short films go however, 'Cops' is one of the best, funniest and cleverest. Not quite a masterpiece, nearly was though when it got going, but close and nonetheless great with almost everything working. At its best it's vintage Keaton and Keaton himself never fails to delight.

It does have a very slight story and it does affect the pacing of some of the first third, which felt a little slow.

The supporting cast do well with what they have but could have had more to do, especially charming Virginia Fox whose character is slightly underwritten.

Everything else however is great. While not what one calls technically ground-breaking, 'Cops' is still very nicely shot and easy on the eye, there is nothing cheap about it. The energy once 'Cops' gets going is almost breakneck and while the story is slight it has a lot of charm at the same time, this is a short film that does have some depth underneath all the physical comedy and stunts. Especially the ending, nobody expects an ending as bleak as the one here and it is both unsettling and moving.

Regarding the humour, 'Cops' is often hilarious and very inventive. Everything with Keaton and the cops is brilliantly choreographed, done with great comic timing and imagination. The stunts are 24-carat Keaton, meaning very inventive and very daring, Keaton's athleticism is astounding. Particularly in the more climactic moments. Keaton's physicality is envious and his comic timing is suitably witty. He also brings depth to his role and he is one of the few to make deadpan nuanced and expressive.

On the whole, great but takes a little time to get going. 8.5/10

Cops (1922) : Brief Review -

Buster Keaton and Edward Cline encounter a comedy of misunderstood chaos. This is neither early nor late comedy short by Keaton hence it doesn't have enough to be compared with his early or later classics. Let's keep it separate as i think that would give full justice to its existence. Cops is an entertaining ride, no doubts, and what else Keaton would do anyways. But a thing to look out for in the film is the way it manufactures the situations. A series of mishaps manages to make a young man get chased by a big city's entire police force. In the beginning we see Keaton doing the normal stuff, just like any man would do to earn money but i liked the idea of generating confusions from the those normal situations. For instance, that furniture selling scene, how terrific it was from the tricky point of view. And then his ride all over the city, that punch to the traffic cop and that bomb and what not, everything just gets along fine. While everything keeps happening in a certain linear equation, the comedy keeps rolling in between. Unlike Keaton's previous major classics which had breathtaking and adventurous stuff, Cops is more like a realistic laughter. I was worried after seeing so much chaos in the middle about how will it end? Will it have a sad ending or a happy one or anything funny? And it ended with the combination of three options i was thinking. Such a delightful surprise it was. Though, it wasn't that fulfilling or great to be honest. Buster Keaton has done a fantastic job out there. Whether it is comedy or several terrific stunts, he manages to win our hearts every time. The only problem with the film is storyline being too short. For a moment I thought it was just a interval point but that was The End. I was craving for more actually despite knowing the short runtime. My bad. Overall, another laugh riot with genuine situations that many great comedies missed.

RATING - 7/10*

By - #samthebestest.

I don't understand why this film is so highly considered. The first thing I noticed was the actors, who weren't expressive at all. The character who got his money stolen was almost deadpan. Even Buster Keaton seemed flat. I didn't find this film funny at all; it had light physical comedy, but not pressed to the extreme like good physical comedy, and no real social comedy. Comparing this film to those of Harold Lloyd, I don't get the sense of life or action that made Harold Lloyd's films of the same era so funny.