Movie roast · 12% slop

Is The General Worth Watching? Buster Keaton Train Heist Gold

One Civil War engineer, one stolen locomotive, and 1926 stunt work that still humiliates every committee remake.

July 25, 2026 About The General

Surviving the Cold General poster — Photo: TVMaze

Keaton outruns history, committees, and CGI in one locomotive.

The Take

The General earns a 12 slop score. Buster Keaton's 1926 silent masterpiece is train-heist perfection with zero franchise rot or focus-group notes.

Practical stunts, heroic competence, and a Civil War setting free of lectures make it the cleanest auteur comedy ever filmed.

The Verdict

Watch The General. It remains one of the tightest, most inventive comedies ever made.

12 slop. Order Safety Last next for more Keaton skyscraper terror.

Common Questions

Is The General based on a true story?

Yes. It dramatizes the 1862 Great Locomotive Chase with Keaton's comic liberties.

What is The General about?

A Confederate engineer chases Union spies who stole his beloved locomotive during the Civil War.

Does The General have sound?

No. It is a 1926 silent film with live orchestral accompaniment in restorations.

Slop Facts

Slop Signals

Grading signals · BASED clears · SLOP means avoid

Franchise / committeeBASEDSingle auteur vision with no reshoots or IP notes
Ideology vs storyBASEDPlot and gags drive everything, zero message priority
Moral thesisBASEDDuty and competence treated with straight respect
Sexual framingBASEDRomance subplot stays light and secondary
Masculinity patternBASEDHeroic competence shown as admirable and effective
Violence framingBASEDPhysical comedy with real stakes, never glorified gore
Craft & voiceMIDPacing can drag for modern viewers used to cuts

Who It's For

Watch it

Fans of practical stunts and pure silent-era craft

Skip it

Viewers needing constant dialogue or quick edits

Watch instead

Better picks in the same lane. Swipe for more.

Watch instead Safety Last

Loved this? Mainline 'Safety Last' next — same Keaton genius, more skyscraper terror.

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