--- title: "The General: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-general/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-general" critics_score: 84 critics_reviews: 14 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The General (1926): what the critics said Critics' score 84 from 14 reviews: 13 positive, 0 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics greet The General with strong enthusiasm, with praise concentrated on Buster Keaton’s physical performance and the construction of the train chases. The reviews repeatedly single out his dangerous stunt work, precise timing and ability to build elaborate comedy around machinery while keeping his expression composed. Several also stress how well the action and comedy work together: the gags sustain the pursuit rather than interrupt it. The Civil War setting and location work receive praise for giving the slapstick scale and a convincing backdrop. The spread is wide, but dissent is isolated: thirteen reviews are positive and one is negative. Variety’s contemporary review rejects the central chase as elementary and finds the comedy unsuccessful. The New Yorker’s early response is milder than the later acclaim, describing a quiet, pleasant diversion. Reservations do not form a shared complaint; the main difference is between measured enjoyment and wholehearted admiration. ## Time Out — Tom Huddleston Rating 5/5. 21 January 2014. The film is the perfect chase movie, never bettered. Keaton's stone-faced pursuit of his stolen train and fiancée features breathtaking set-pieces and stunts amid Civil War action and character comedy. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-general-1) ## The AV Club — Emily St. James Rating A. 9 December 2009. The film is the defining 1926 classic and perhaps the first action comedy, making great use of Keaton’s physicality, location work, and framed calamity in its train-chase setpieces that still hold up. It offers the best case for Keaton over Chaplin through its elaborate construction and visceral gags that build to something greater, marking its place in cinematic history and influencing modern action films. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-general-1798207566) ## Empire — Simon Braund Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2013. The critic calls it one of the greatest screen comedies ever made and Keaton's magnum opus. They single out the perfectly choreographed gags, impeccable timing, and Keaton's nimble stunt work set against an authentic Civil War backdrop. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/general-2-review/) ## IndieWire — Max O'Connell Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 14 July 2014. This is presented as a Criticwire Classic of the Week retrospective on the Buster Keaton film. The piece celebrates it as a landmark silent comedy with enduring appeal and technical brilliance in its action sequences. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/criticwire-classic-of-the-week-buster-keatons-the-general-126282/) ## Los Angeles Times Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 19 September 1991. The critic regards the film as Keaton's finest, praising its jitterbug pace and layered classic scenes. He singles out the energetic comic style and hazardous stunts for praise in this retrospective piece. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-09-19-ol-3630-story.html) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 31 May 1997. The critic calls the film a masterpiece of silent comedy and one of the greatest films ever made. He singles out the elaborate train chases and dangerous stunts performed by Keaton himself for praise. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-the-general-1927) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 23 January 2014. The critic praises Buster Keaton's pioneering 1926 silent film as more or less inventing the action movie, with its epic ambition and startling athleticism, precision and comic timing still evident on re-release. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jan/23/the-general-buster-keaton-review) ## The New York Times — Vincent Canby Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 August 1971. The critic hails the film as a masterpiece that is a farce, history, romance and triumph of movie art. He singles out Keaton's harmony with objects and the locomotive for praise in this re-release review. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1971/08/01/archives/buster-keatons-fivestar-general-keatons-fivestar-general.html) ## The Telegraph — Tim Robey Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 23 January 2014. The critic calls it almost certainly the funniest silent film ever made and widely considered Keaton's masterpiece, highlighting its virtuoso slapstick, unflagging momentum, intricate plotting and split-second perfect stunts and pacing. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/10592155/The-General-review.html) ## Slant Magazine Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 11 November 2008. The newly burnished look of this silent-cinema landmark on DVD demands a fresh gaze at Keaton’s least characteristic great film, which combines man-on-a-quest comedy with Civil War epic trappings and impressive pyrotechnics in its climactic sequences. It affirms the star’s heroic persona in solemn circumstances while lacking self-importance, with the restoration allowing appreciation of its visual clarity and historical poesy. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/the-general-dvd/) ## The New Yorker Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 12 February 1927. The critic finds the film a quiet and unassuming comedy that is altogether a pleasant relaxation. He singles out the novel treatment of the inefficient heroine who is subjected to indignities for note. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1927/02/12/love-comes-to-all-parts-of-paris-it-isnt-so-and-buster-keaton) ## Variety — Variety Staff Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1926. The critic finds the film far from fussy and calls the result a flop. He singles out the elementary chase built around the star as the principal comedy scene for complaint. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1926/film/reviews/the-general-1200409824/) ## HeyUGuys — Matt Seton Rating 5/5. 24 January 2014. The review hails the film as a masterpiece of silent comedy, vast in scope yet subtle in execution, and essential viewing due to Keaton's ambitious stunts and performance. It notes the new 4K restoration makes it a perfect opportunity to appreciate the work. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/the-general-review/) ## Eye for Film — Jennie Kermode Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 18 January 2014. The critic praises the restored print for restoring the film's original impact and grip on audiences through inventive chases and slapstick. Keaton is singled out for conveying emotion through his eyes and maintaining sincerity amid buffoonery and daring stunts. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-general-1926-film-review-by-jennie-kermode) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-general.md