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I want to like this movie more than I do; it does have some brilliant comedic moments. But I'm not a big boxing fan to begin with, and nothing here compares with Chaplin's turn in "City Lights". Likewise, mistaken identity plots were old hat even before the flickers existed. It's a serious movie in many respects, and plays as straight melodrama towards the end.

It's difficult finding good modern reviews of Buster's lesser-known works. Here's another one from Pauline Kael -- who, it must be admitted, liked Keaton much better than Chaplin.

"Rarely seen Buster Keaton film that he sometimes said was his favorite but that is probably no one else's favorite; the story is slight enough to hang gags on (including a famous duck shoot), but there's some discomfort-almost masochism-built into it. Keaton plays puny, defenseless Alfy Butler, a rich, soft simpleton whose father sends him into the woods to make a man of him; through love (for broad-faced Sally O'Neil) and mistaken identity, he becomes embroiled in prizefighting and is pitted against the sadistic world champion. He wins, of course, but not until after he's taken a cruel beating. Keaton directed, and there are cleverly worked out compositional techniques, including the sort of deep focus that was later to be associated with Orson Welles and Gregg Toland. With Snitz Edwards as the valet."