Pretty standard silent comedy from Harold Lloyd, with a timeless, unforgettable third act. The setup is basic enough; it's the well-worn yarn of an ambitious young go-getter who moves to the city and finds that getting rich quick isn't quite as easy as he'd expected. He puts on an act for correspondence, boasting of a high-dollar lifestyle and shipping gifts to his girl while rent on his meager apartment goes unpaid; unwittingly spinning himself a flimsy web that tangles when the aforementioned love interest pops in for an unannounced visit. That leads to a few good bits of physical comedy, some crafty sleight of hand, several near-misses, but the premise drags after a while and the action is too often interrupted by unnecessary title cards.

It's only when he stumbles into a chance to actually make that long-sought bank, climbing the face of a twelve-story building as a promotional stunt, that the picture really hits its stride and jumps to a new level. Lloyd is incredible in these scenes, expertly toying with our anticipation and tempting fate with every step. He teeters on the brink (and even tumbles over the edge) countless times, always with a new gimmick or snare to up the ante, while the spectacular camera angles ensure that a crucial, cringing sense of risk is never lost.

I'd say the special effects hold up astonishingly for a century-old picture, but these weren't really effects at all. Though a misstep may not have led to *certain* death (a flimsy scaffold, just out of frame, allegedly provided some peace of mind), Lloyd was really gripping that skyscraper a hundred feet in the air, with an expansive view of 1920s Los Angeles spread out behind him. The gamble pays off; thanks to the seamless view, our subconscious worry makes for more nail-biting peril and quicker laughs when that tension is, momentarily, diffused. As a package, _Safety Last_ is entertaining and well-made, but maybe not a top-notch example of the era. That last act, though, earns every last one of the callbacks and tributes it's been paid over the years.