7.1/10
Senior Film Conservator

A definitive 7.1/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. The Midnight Patrol remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you have twenty minutes and want to see two grown men fail at literally everything they touch, then yes, The Midnight Patrol is a delight. It’s peak Laurel and Hardy mischief. If you are looking for anything remotely resembling a coherent plot or, you know, actual police work, you’re going to hate this.
They look so proud in those uniforms. It’s almost sad because you know within three minutes that the city is effectively doomed. There is a specific kind of clumsy energy that only these two could pull off, where the comedy comes from how hard they try to do a simple job.
Watching them try to patrol at night is like watching a car crash in slow motion, but with more bowler hats. I couldn’t stop staring at the background extras in the street scenes—half of them look like they are just waiting for the cameras to stop rolling so they can go home. It feels lived-in, but in a dusty, 1933 kind of way. 🚔
It’s not as tight as Service Stripes, which had a bit more of a focused narrative rhythm. Here, it’s mostly just an excuse to let them run loose in the dark. There’s a scene where they accidentally stumble into a situation they don’t understand, and the silence right before the punchline feels just a little bit too long. It’s awkward. It’s great.
I kept thinking about how these shorts were made back then. Just throw them into a scene, let them break some furniture, and call it a day. It feels less like a produced movie and more like watching two friends cause trouble on a Tuesday night. 🎞️
Is it better than Sick Cylinders? Maybe not, but it has a charm that’s hard to shake. You don't watch this for the character growth or the suspense. You watch it to see Ollie get flustered and Stan scratch his head while the world burns around them.
Also, the lighting in the night scenes is surprisingly moody for a slapstick romp. Whoever was holding the lamp knew what they were doing. Or maybe it was just a happy accident. Either way, it works.

IMDb —
1925
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