Safety Last

One of the best of Lloyd's thrill-comedies, developing the precarious perch-clinging scenes in earlier shorts like High and Dizzy and the stunning Never Weaken. If he steered clear of the cloying sentimentality that characterised Chaplin and Langdon, Lloyd nevertheless lacked the narrative and visual ambitions that made Keaton a truly great director/comedian. That said, the clock-hanging climax that caps this generally charming tale of a country boy out to make his fortune in the big city - having suggested a high-rise climb as a publicity stunt for the store where he is employed, he finds himself forced to substitute when the real 'human fly' proves otherwise engaged - is a superb example of his ability to mix suspense and slapstick.