In my opinion, this Keaton short is overrated by most of the reviewers. It's generally good, compared to others, but is not a standout. I don't like his films with too much time spent in police chases, which is what this film is most famous for.......What should Keaton have done with that fused anarchist bomb that landed next to him in his wagon? Obviously, the ideal response would be to disable the burning fuse, perhaps with a knife, if the fuse was fairly soft. Otherwise, he should have left the bomb where it was, and jumped out of the wagon, or taken the consequences. Throwing it on the road, with so many police around, was irresponsible, and not particularly funny to me. By the way, how did Keaton's wagon, piled high with various things, manage to get in the middle of the policemen's parade?.......Unlike most Keaton shorts, there's no romance included. Instead, we get a stuck up, bossy, woman(Fox), who demands that Keaton become 'somebody' before she will marry him. In the end, nothing has changed, as she isn't impressed with him as a phony cop.........I did like the teeter totter ladder on the fence scene........Interesting that John Brinkley's notorious scam involving transplantation of goat testicles to supposedly cure a variety of ailments is featured. There were a lot of gullible people in those days. But, whatever Brinkley did to Keaton's worn out nag, sure pepped him up!........My favorite Keaton, so far, is "Neighbors", which combines many acrobatic scenes with a good dose of slapstick........See it at YouTube.
Review of Cops
