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5.7/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 5.7/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Quit Yer Kickin' remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you have ten minutes to spare and love old-school slapstick, Quit Yer Kickin' is a fun little relic. People who enjoy chaotic animal antics will get a kick out of this. But if you hate scratchy 1930s audio and predictable gags, you should probably just skip it.
The plot is incredibly simple. Red Donahue is trying to get hired at some dynamite factory, but there is a wild mule in his way.
Yes, a mule. And honestly, the mule is the best actor in the whole dang thing. 🐴
It has this incredibly stubborn look on its face that feels so genuine. I kept thinking of other low-budget comedies from around then, like Dodge Your Debts, which had a similar frantic energy.
The main gag is basically Red trying to dodge this mule while carrying boxes that say DYNAMITE in giant letters. You know exactly what is going to happen next.
The tension isn't "will it explode?" but rather "when will this animal kick him in the shins?"
There is this one shot where the mule just stares directly into the camera. It goes on for a second too long, and you can tell the trainer was probably standing just off-screen waving a carrot.
The sound design is pretty rough, to be honest. Every time the mule makes a noise, it sounds like someone rubbing two pieces of sandpaper together in a tin can.But there is a real charm to how cheap the whole thing feels. Red Donahue has this goofy, desperate grin the entire time.
He looks like he’s actually terrified of the mule, which makes the slapstick feel a bit more real than usual. I wonder if they actually had control over the animal at all during filming.
The writer, Casey Robinson, went on to write much bigger, serious films later, which is hilarious to think about. Imagine starting your career with "man fights mule near explosives" and ending up writing classic Hollywood dramas.
Anyway, don't expect a masterpiece here. It is just a silly, loud short that ends exactly how you think it will, and that is perfectly fine.
