DbcultAccessing Vault...
6.5/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.5/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Railroadin' remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you're the kind of person who gets nervous watching kids play near a busy street, Railroadin' is probably going to give you a heart attack.
It is totally worth watching today just to see how much they let these kids get away with back in 1929.
The whole gang is here and they are basically just wandering around a real, massive train yard with zero supervision. 🚂
The scale of the machines compared to the kids is actually terrifying when you really look at it.
People who love old-school slapstick will have a blast, but anyone who worries about child safety laws will probably hate every second of it.
Joe Cobb is in top form, acting like he’s really the boss of a multi-ton locomotive while wearing those oversized clothes.
There is this one shot where the train starts moving and you can see the actual panic in their eyes—it doesn't feel like acting at all.
The dog, Pal, is also just... there. He's a good boy, but he looks just as confused as the audience about why they are on a runaway train.
I noticed that the editing gets really choppy toward the end, like they realized they were running out of film or maybe just time.
It’s much faster and more frantic than something like Surging Seas, which feels slow by comparison.
The best part is definitely when the kids try to "fix" the situation and only make things ten times worse like they always do.
Farina has this specific look of "I didn't sign up for this" that kills me every time he's on screen.
The grease on the kids' faces looks real, not like that clean Hollywood makeup you see in modern period pieces.
The whole thing feels like a fever dream where the adults are just... missing for the first fifteen minutes.
Some of the gags are a bit recycled if you've seen a lot of these shorts, but the train adds a level of real danger that makes it feel fresh.
You can almost smell the coal smoke and the old oil through the screen when the engines start huffing.
The way the camera shakes when the train rolls by is probably just the vibration of the actual machine, not a special effect.
It is definitely more exciting than Humanity, even if it doesn't have much of a story beyond "don't get crushed."
One reaction shot of Wheezer lingers just a bit too long and it gets kind of funny in a weird way.
The ending is kind of abrupt. It just sort of stops once the danger is over.
But hey, that’s 1920s comedy for you. It gets in, breaks stuff, and leaves before you can ask too many questions.
If you have twenty minutes to kill and want to see some vintage mayhem, this is a strong recommend.
Just don't expect it to be as polished as Aloma of the South Seas or anything like that.
It's just kids, a dog, and a very large, very fast train.
IMDb —
1925
Community
Log in to comment.
