A simple early comic headliner from Charlie Chaplin, who's caught halfway between lighter early fare and the more mature, complete works that would typify his best years. He's mid-transition, in other words, from a basic rodeo clown to an accomplished dramatic player. As such, _Police_ is an admirable effort, an important building block, if not a great standalone. We get the framework of a story - Charlie as an ex-con who's quickly swindled and forced back into a life of crime - but it's extremely loose and rushed, hurrying to hit the key plot points before they've had enough time to cook.

The slapstick stuff is entertaining (Chaplin having already mastered the little foibles and traits that make his Tramp persona so delightful) but that material also hasn't adapted to fit the constraints of a narrative and usually feels clunky or disjointed. There's a touch of heart in the ending, where the Tramp shows compassion and remorse at the end of a botched burglary, but again, it doesn't seem like that roast was ready to come out of the oven just yet. An essential growing pain, one which we know (in hindsight) bears worthwhile fruit, but far from essential viewing material.