My above comment is alluding to the fact that almost all the action in the film takes place in and immediately around the blacksmith shop. As a result, except at the very end, the film tends to feel a bit restrained. And, in general, the jokes are not very typical of Keaton's shorts from the 20s, as instead of odd situations and pratfalls, the emphasis is definitely more on Buster breaking things.
Buster is the blacksmith's assistant and as the film begins, his boss is taken to jail--leaving the inexperienced and pretty stupid Buster to run the shop. Again and again, he screws up in so many ways and just seems pretty forced compared to his character in most other films. Smashing a car, getting oil all over a horse's coat and accidentally sitting on a red-hot horseshoe is about the speed of the film. While these are funny, the laughs never seem to get that strong--with only minor chuckles here and there. Not one of Keaton's better shorts in the decade, but still an improvement over the type shorts he did for Keystone in the 1910s.
Buster is the blacksmith's assistant and as the film begins, his boss is taken to jail--leaving the inexperienced and pretty stupid Buster to run the shop. Again and again, he screws up in so many ways and just seems pretty forced compared to his character in most other films. Smashing a car, getting oil all over a horse's coat and accidentally sitting on a red-hot horseshoe is about the speed of the film. While these are funny, the laughs never seem to get that strong--with only minor chuckles here and there. Not one of Keaton's better shorts in the decade, but still an improvement over the type shorts he did for Keystone in the 1910s.