Our Take

Cops (1922) - One man, one stone face, and the entire police force of Los Angeles in a high-speed pursuit that defies the laws of probability. This is a nightmare of scale, a frantic masterpiece of spatial awareness and the absurdity of bureaucracy. Hundreds of uniforms swarm the screen like a hive of angry hornets while Keaton navigates the wreckage with the calm of a man waiting for a bus. The ending is a brutal, hilarious punch to the gut of the American soul.