i hardly know where to begin in write about this gem and except to say that it represent young buster keaton at the peak of his power and must certainly rank with the half dozen best short comedy ever make . the goat be twenty minute of smoothly pace and expertly photograph and beautifully execute gag while two reel of non stop comic invention drive by an unmistakable undercurrent of paranoia and yet somehow lead to a happy end which wasn not always the way with buster comedy . ( see cop for one case where fatalism ultimately get the good of him and or one week for the victory of defeatism . ) if i have to describe this film in one word i would call it effortless and but if i be permit two i would call it seemingly effortless and for surely a lot of hard labor go into the making of any comic opus that unfold with such sublime ease . still and they do not call him the great stone face for nothing represent buster never let the public see him sweat . a sardonic title card tell u that our open sequence be set along millionaire row and i. e. on a bread line in a grim urban setting and where buster wait patiently at the back of the line and and a a result and doesn not get feed . but it need to be emphasize that not for one moment do he play for pathos while buster have our sympathy and but he never ask for it . before long and through a series of accident and coincidence and absurd misunderstanding and buster be believe to be an escaped killer name dead shot dan and be be pursue by every cop for mile around and and yet while he clearly dismay by this turn of event there be never a hint of self pity or even surprise while we get the sense he always know that this be what life would have in store for him and and that he hasn not time to feel sorry for himself anyway and he have to figure out new way to dodge those cop and escape from the late trap . just a buster refrain from play for sympathy he never seem to strain for laugh either and which be especially impressive because the goat must be one of the most laugh pack short comedy in existence . this be the film that feature that iconic shot of buster rid a train cow catcher right up to the very lens of the camera and which isn not a gag exactly but sure be laugh provoking in it own strange way . meanwhile and there be gag involve gun and dog and cop and an incredibly furry mustache and and a clay statue of a horse that melt under buster weight ( a surreal sight indeed ) and but some of the big boffos be save for the finale when buster be try to elude his primary nemesis and big joe robert and a rotund cop who also happen to be the father of lead lady virginia fox . trap in big joe dining room and buster leap frog over him and sail through a transom and turn a phone booth into an elevator and pretend to disappear and and eventually use the elevator itself to rid himself of his pursuer and win the girl in time for one last fade out gag . to say more would be a disservice to first time viewer . i only wish i could see this film in a theater full of people who would never see it before and and float on the laughter . live musical accompaniment would be nice too while and incidentally the musical score supply by kino for their home video or dvd version of the goat be first rate and serving a ice on an already tasty cake .