Convict 13
1920 · 20m · USA
Directed by Buster Keaton, Edward F. Cline
Tones: absurdist, darkly comic, humorous
A golfer (Buster Keaton) is knocked unconscious by his own ricocheting golf ball and an escaped convict swaps clothes with him. Mistaken for prisoner number 13 — who is scheduled to hang that day — he must survive a chaotic prison riot before waking to discover it was all a dream.
Picked by Margot
The scouts
An elastic-rope hanging gag played for laughs and a prison riot with shootings as slapstick — Keaton in his violent, dreamlike mode. Underrated.
An unusually violent Keaton that frames a prison riot as comic dream-logic, with the elastic hanging gag prefiguring Sherlock Jr.'s reality-bending. A spirited, somewhat unruly early effort.
An elastic-rope hanging gag played for laughs is a Keaton signature — taking genuine physical menace and finding the rebound timing. 18:53 YouTube cut, dream-frame ending that lets the violence read as cartoon logic.
Reviews
Convict 13 is a fast paced and nonstop comedic masterpiece that utilizes every single minute to add layer after layer to a hilarious setup.
Not one of Keaton's best or most imaginative shorts, but one of his most violent — a full scale prison riot where inmates and guards alike are shot and killed.