Coney Island Review: Roller Coasters and Boardwalk Brawls

If you have about an hour and want to see what people thought was exciting in the late 20s, Coney Island is a solid pick. It’s perfect for anyone who loves the aesthetic of old boardwalks, but people looking for a complex plot should probably just skip it.

Tammany Burke owns this giant roller coaster and he is basically fighting a group of suits led by Hughey Cooper. Cooper is one of those villains who seems to have nothing better to do than ruin a young guy's business.

The whole thing feels very grounded in the actual place. You can almost smell the salt air and the cheap fried food through the screen. 🎡

I really liked Jingles Wellman, the main girl's dad. He used to be a clown, and honestly, he still acts like one most of the time.

The movie spends a lot of time showing the coaster itself. It looks terrifyingly rickety, like it might fall over if someone sneezes too hard near it.

There is this one scene where the syndicate hirelings are trying to sabotage the machine. They look so obvious about it that you wonder why nobody just calls the cops immediately.

It has a bit of that frantic energy you see in The Far Cry. Everything feels like it's moving a mile a minute even when nothing is really happening.

The romance between Burke and Joan is... fine. They mostly just stand around looking at the tracks, which I guess is what passes for a date when you own a theme park ride.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Coney Island (1928) through its definitive frames.

I noticed some of the extras in the background look completely lost. There’s a guy in one shot who just stares at the camera for a second before realizing he’s supposed to be walking.

The big fight at the end is pretty chaotic. It’s a lot of guys in flat caps throwing punches that clearly don't land, but it’s still fun to watch.

When the riot squad finally shows up, it feels a bit like the director just wanted to go home. The resolution happens so fast you might blink and miss it.

It’s definitely not as heavy as something like The Stealers. It’s lighter, faster, and doesn't try to teach you any big life lessons.

I kept wondering why Cooper wanted the coaster so bad. The movie never really explains the financials, but I guess "greed" is enough of a reason for a silent film villain. 💰

One of the title cards has a weird typo in it, or maybe that’s just how they spelled things back then. It adds to the charm, I think.

If you’re into the history of amusement parks, this is basically a documentary with a fistfight in the middle. Otherwise, it’s just a decent way to spend an afternoon.

The ending is exactly what you expect. Everyone is happy, the bad guys are gone, and the coaster is still standing, somehow.