Go West

A variation of a boy and his dog film, but this time it’s with a cow. The first two acts are mildly amusing, but it’s the grand finale which rallies itself and delivers the comedy gold. Not that the first two-thirds of the movie is a barren wasteland, there’s plenty of laughs, but it feels slightly sheepish and sleepy.

Keaton plays a man referred to only as “Friendless,” a denizen of the big city, who packs his things up and moves west, gets a job at a ranch, and befriends a cow named “Brown Eyes.” After learning that the cattle will be sold off, Friendless frantically tries to rescue his one friend, and remains completely oblivious to the raging libido of the rancher’s daughter who wants to hop on Keaton’s sad-eyed cowboy. There’s much enjoyment to be had during these parts, including Keaton’s city boy learning how to do his various chores and engage with country life for the first time. But it’s the last act that’s the crown jewel, and features some of the more bizarre and obtuse images in his filmography.

The cattle being let loose across the city is humorous enough, but the comedy dials itself up with each new sequence unfolding in the madness. It culminates in Keaton donning a red devil costume to lead the bull and cattle on a madcap chase, and climaxes with the rancher, his rejected daughter, Keaton, and the cow driving back home, off into the sunset, and towards their happy ending. Strange, but wonderful, and the film could have used more of this freewheeling vibe throughout. Go West is enjoyable, but it’s a minor Keaton work. I don’t know if any of the films he made between 1920 – 1929 could qualify as bad, he was too smart, unique, adventurous and charming a screen artist for that. Even his disappointments rank higher than others best.