Harold Lloyd may not have had the stardom and influence of Buster Keaton, but his comedic talent is a close match in Safety Last! Typical of the 1920s, it has a rather simplistic plot with a sweet romance and a hapless, down-on-his-luck everyman trying to make it in the world. It's an endless stream of rapid-fire comedic situations with one department store mishap following another, all punctuated with Lloyd's brand of clumsy acting and an ensemble of pointedly caricatured supporting characters. The final sequence is the highlight of the whole movie and is as nail-bitingly intense as any modern thriller. With impressive special effects and another endless stream of physical mishaps, Lloyd climbs up the side of his building with a heart-pounding determination matched by the audience. Every level has its own gag, its own near-fatal accident and its own sympathetic moment - and never running out of fresh ideas! Safety Last! Is a true classic of the silent era that blends comedy and tension to tell a unique and heartwarming story.
Review of Safety Last!
