The more you watch of Buster Keaton, the faster the novelty begins to wear off – and while this sounds like a criticism that aligns with the opinions of detractors, this is merely an indication that we are able to develop a sense of sincere comfort and familiarity the more we grow accustomed to his style. Even watching a relatively minor work (if such a concept even exists when discussing Keaton and his incredible body of work) is a near-religious experience, particularly if we are looking at the twelve films that Keaton himself directed during what was his peak. One of his films that isn’t often included in conversations about his defining masterpieces, but yet still has earned a strong position in the canon of his work, is Go West, in which Keaton plays Friendless, a down-on-his-luck young man (which is certainly not a stretch for him) who decides to seek out better work opportunities, but accidentally finds himself stranded in the Wild West, where he can get employment as a ranch hand, which seems to be simple enough work in theory, but secretly turns out to be far more challenging than he could have ever anticipated, especially with his questionable skills. A wonderfully irreverent and consistently entertaining work that represents everything that we love about Keaton, Go West is a wholeheartedly delightful affair, albeit one that doesn’t always tend to get the credit it deserves, for reasons that have nothing to do with the film itself, but rather how it has often been eclipsed by seemingly more ambitious works, the discussion usually neglecting to recognise the ingenuity that sits right beneath the surface of the film. A very effective but still quite simple work that reminds us yet again of the incredible skills that Keaton possessed on both sides of the camera, Go West is very charming, even when it is slightly more pedestrian than some of his more well-known and cherished works.

Something that we can appreciate about Go West (and which detractors of Keaton’s work may use as momentum to signal that it is not as good as some of his other films) is its simplicity – this is one of the rare instances where he made a film that didn’t have too broad a social meaning. None of his work was ever serious enough to be heavy-handed in its examination of deeper themes, but they did possess some strong, ironclad commentary about the nature of society and the people who reside within it. However, this is taken from only a cursory glance at the premise, which is a lot more complex and engaging than we would imagine. Most of the film is built from the very common trope of the culture clash between urban dwellers and country folk, which has been the foundation of many fantastic works of art over the years, Keaton joining this long line of brilliant filmmakers who find this to be fertile ground for interesting, subversive commentary, even if it is slightly more simple than many of us may imagine possible with something of this premise. Keaton takes a risk by moving the setting away from urban areas and more towards new terrain, in this case the Wild West (and considering many of his later films would follow the same technique of moving their stories into new settings, which kept them fresh and engaging throughout), and uses this as a way to make some interesting observations on the two very different cultures. He does tend to lean towards more common ideas – a hopelessly ill-informed city mouse finds himself the laughingstock of the more seasoned veterans of the dust-covered countryside, with many of the expected jokes being made at his expense. Yet, it never feels stale or inappropriate, since there is always something valuable being said throughout the film, which is as much about the differences between cultures as it is a cohesive depiction of American life during this era.

Praising Keaton as an artist is always essentially a two-step process, since it entails acknowledging his skills as a director as well as his acting talents, both of which are very different processes that he managed to combine into one of the great careers of the silent era, essentially defining this period in the process. In terms of his acting, Go West is not regularly considered one of his stronger efforts, primarily because there aren’t many opportunities for dramatic material, which was usually where he shone in his more notable performances (his films were consistently very funny, but they often had vaguely melancholic interludes in which Keaton could truly run the gamut of emotions, while still maintaining some degree of consistency in terms of the surrounding comedy), but which is here replaced by more impressive physical setpieces, not allowing him to explore the emotional side of the character, which may not have been necessary, but still feels like it is the one aspect of his usual storytelling approach that had to be sacrificed to make some other compelling observations in their absence. This is not a problem, since he nonetheless still delivers stellar work – and in a rare turn of fate, his main scene partner here is not a human love interest (as usual), but rather an adorable brown cow, who becomes his primary companion and the reason for the central tension that drives the film. Whether or not Keaton was trying to make a stark statement on the friendships that can be forged between humans and animals may remain to be seen, but there’s still something very charming about how it functions in the context of this film, with some of Keaton’s most eccentric moments being found scattered throughout this film.

In any other context, the structure and style of a film like Go West would be considered a career-defining work in the hands of any other filmmaker, but for Keaton, it seems to be business as usual. We find that, despite it being a relatively middling effort by his standards (its undeniably great, but also not his greatest work), this film contains a number of his most fascinating and provocative setpieces, which are woven gracefully into the fabric of a film that takes itself seriously enough to be well-crafted, but also offering something offbeat and entertaining in the way that needed someone who also recognised opportunities for comedy in the most unexpected of places. Running at just over an hour, there’s certainly not a lot of space for Keaton to construct a full story with a beginning, middle and end, while also including the expected twists and turns that are as vital to his work as the narratives – and to communicate the chaos of the story, he resorts to pushing the boundaries of the medium. Part of the experience of watching Keaton’s work is finding a couple of stunts or shots and becoming mildly obsessed with trying to decode how it was done, since even by modern standards, some of these moments are beyond astonishing. There are some of the most impressive and inexplicable moments contained within Go West, such as a moment where Keaton seemingly rides one of the bulls, all done through a point-of-view shot that is impossible to comprehend, even from a contemporary perspective. The film is filled to the brim with these moments, and while the focus here is on impact rather than scope (and therefore there are fewer grandiose moments, with the focus instead being on short but impactful setpieces), the results are nonetheless very effective and bring with them a sense of chaos that is certainly worth every minute of our time.

There is a belief that once you’ve seen a couple of Keaton films, you’ve essentially seen them all – and while this may be somewhat true, considering they’re all structured very similarly and have a pre-determined set of techniques that Keaton usually employs to maintain a sense of consistency, as well as meet studio demands. However, each one of his films (particularly the core dozen features that he directed) are unique and challenging in their way, and bring with them a bespoke sense of upbeat humour and sincerity, the likes of which we don’t see particularly often, even when looking at works made by those who consider themselves acolytes of the stone-faced icon. Go West is very compelling, but it also tends to be slightly more limited in terms of scope, which is why it is absent from many conversations around his defining masterpieces. This doesn’t invalidate his methods in any way, though – there’s something so intriguing about a film willing to just be entertaining, and while it’s not at all a departure from his usual work, the film is a relatively minor affair, albeit one that is every bit as entertaining as anything else he made during his peak. The filmmaking itself is impeccable, with many moments of pure innovation, and the overall experience is nothing if not wholeheartedly engaging in a way that feels quite bold, even when it is as easy to predict as anything else. A hilarious, heartwarming and outrageously compelling little comedy, Go West is just another terrific feather in Keaton’s now-iconic cap.