Sherlock Jr. (1924)

You won't be disappointed!

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Blistering performances.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Watching Sherlock Jr. brought me back to childhood days watching the three stooges on Saturday mornings. It is not hard to tell how much influence shows like this took from Buster Keaton. The style of humor is still relevant to todays films and the gags are truly entertaining. This movie although being filmed in 1924 is put together quite well using the fairly new technology of the era. Even with the lack of words, the jokes seem to hit their mark every time. the jokes are even more impressive knowing that the actors had to get the punchline across without using any words. Would definitely recommend.

I thought for a silent film it was still very relevant and fun. It was surprisingly fast paced and had a lot of cool action way before you think of the more modern action films, Yet the whole dream sequence was very thought provoking and almost like Keaton created a vivid world with its own laws and internally consistent logic. There was the usage of basic camera techniques and manipulating the angles, which for its time way in the early 1920s it worked! When he went through his assistants stomach I actually had to look twice highly impressive. I can appreciate it would recommend if you had to see a silent film

Sherlock Jr. is a creative and refreshing take on a mystery story. Many elements and subtle themes help the viewer stay invested along with any and all sight gags. The characters included such as the sly detective Sherlock Jr, keep the story progressing at a good pace. Although a bit cliché, the story is told in an interesting and inventive way that would definitely be considered a marvel of its time. Clever editing techniques and interesting set add to the ambiance that Buster Keaton must have painstakingly tried to perfect. Overall, definitely a good watch if you are interested in mystery comedies!

"Sherlock Jr." is one of many masterpieces made by Buster Keaton and he established himself as a force to be reckoned with in the Art of Silent Comedy. Dare I say this but the best of Keaton narrowly surpassed the best of Chaplin. The story of "Sherlock Jr." concerns Buster who works as a projectionist at a small town cinema. He has dreams of becoming a detective and avidly reads up on the subject. Whilst projecting a film, Buster falls asleep and "Sherlock Jr." enters fantasy via a dream scene.There is some excellent camera trickery but I don't recall the exact details of how it was done. In this fantasy sequence, Buster proceeds to the big screen in the cinema and appears to enter the screen itself. It is a dazzling and original piece of filmmaking and I doubt if Keaton's rivals could have created this. Eventually and after he's awake, Buster has a chance to prove he can be a fully fledged detective. His attempts at tailing a suspect are absolutely uproarious. There is a chase scene involving Buster sat on the handlebars of a policeman's motorbike. The film isn't a long one, 45 minutes but it is an undisputed classic.