Early short that showcases Chaplin on a power trip as a tramp-turned-cop who takes down the slums’ (Easy Street) biggest bully (a beast of a man who’s impervious to batons and boasts devil-like eyebrows). The slapstick is plentiful, similar to 1921′s The Kid—though it’s nowhere near as funny as that one—and of course, there’s the obligatory damsel in distress. It’s really about image, and how a strong one, even if obtained by luck, can breed self-confidence and, subsequently, social clout. There’s also some religious allegory at work: Easy Street opens in a church, where Chaplin humorously plays with a baby but, more seriously, finds his way after leaving and noticing a “help wanted” sign on the local police station’s door. Though Easy Street is more charming than laugh-out-loud funny, seeing policeman Chaplin doff his cap to the twice-vanquished bully on a cleaned-up Easy Street at the end is worth the price of admission, and it’s a great warm-up act for his truly great work of the next two decades, particularly The Circus (1928) and City Lights (1931), but also The Gold Rush (1925) and Modern Times (1936), as well as the aforementioned & underrated The Kid.

63/100