Go West (1925)

GO WEST  (1925)  ¢ ¢ ¢ 1/2
    D: Buster Keaton
    Buster Keaton, Howard Truesdale, Kathleen Myers
Buster Keaton hops a freight and heads west, ending up at a ranch where he hires on as a cowboy. With his flat hat, tiny gun and glaring lack of cowboy skills, he's an outcast out on the range, but he does make a connection with one of the cows, a sweet-natured creature named Brown Eyes. The climax has Buster in a demon costume leading a thousand steers through downtown Los Angeles, the kind of crazy, ambitious sight gag that only Keaton would dream of pulling off. Another classic bit occurs when Buster accuses a fellow ranch hand of cheating at cards and the guy pulls a gun and says (of course), "Smile when you say that." Which wouldn't even be a joke, except in a Buster Keaton movie. I won't tell how he resolves that one, except to say that what worked for Lillian Gish in "Broken Blossoms" does not work for Keaton here.