Police-secours

Perhaps Laurel and Hardy's most visual experimental work. I know, the story is uninteresting, the gags are basic, the mood is dated, and the duo's personalities are far from fully development. Still "Do Detectives Think?" is worth remembering for its nocturnal, expressionistic scenes around the graveyard, where a goat's shadow suggest a scary demon; also for its moving camera, a rare James Finnlayson's close-up underwater, a keyhole's point of view, mirror reflections and some other few technical devices not very frequent at the time that provides this little film an unusual freshness and a sense of unlimited creative freedom.

When Laurel and Hardy are on the case, you don't expect Sherlock Holmes-quality deductions, but you know there will be some laughs. This comedy is a bit uneven, but pretty good overall. Stanley and Oliver are detectives who are hired to protect a judge whose life has been threatened, and they get some reasonable mileage out of this simple situation. They are helped out by frequent supporting player James Finlayson as the judge, and by Noah Young, who is suitably menacing as an escaped convict. It's not among their best comedies, but it has some good moments, and is certainly worth watching for any fan of Laurel and Hardy.

Although by no means a comedy must-see, "Do Detectives Think?" is a worthy movie from Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, who in 1927 just began working together as a comedy team, for the Hal Roach studio's.

It's a movie that is good thanks to its little comical moments. It's not the sort of movie that is hilarious constantly but it has some great original and funny moments in it that are good for a couple of laughs. It's certainly not the most consistent Laurel & Hardy silent comedy short around but it's an enjoyable one nevertheless, which is also thanks to its fun simple story. It makes "Do Detectives Think?" an above average early Laurel & Hardy movie.

Problem of the movie really is that the comical moments in it are rather stretched out. If only the movie was about halve its running time shorter, perhaps the movie than would had been a better and even more enjoyable one. The movie its flow would at least had been better if that had been the case.

The cast is good. Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy (who was looking quite thin by the way) already seem to be in their element as the famous comical duo. Also really good was James Finlayson in a great comical role. He steals the show in most of his sequences. Just his looks alone and some small actions is enough to provide the movie with some great laughs and comical moments. Also Noah Young is well cast, as a psychotic killer who tries to kill the judge (the James Finlayson character) who convicted him. The boys play two detectives, with odd names, who are send by their agency to protect the judge but of course everything goes wrong and the boys really mess things up again.

Of course everything about the movie is predictable but it's a well made and originally directed movie. The timing is nice and the movie is well edited which makes most of the comical moments work out really well.

A good enough enjoyable early Laurel & Hardy comedy short, that uses a bit too many stretched out comical moments to prevent this movie from being one of their best works.

7/10

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Judge James Finlayson's life has been threatened and indeed why would it not be threatened as he's a hardnosed law and order type who has just handed out a life sentence to some tough criminals. That gang hires the Slasher played by a creepy Noah Young to take vengeance on Finlayson.

This film may have been responsible for the adversarial relationship that Stan and Ollie enjoyed with Finlayson. The boys are the detectives that are sent by the local police to guard the life of the good judge.

The pattern of the characters of Stan and Ollie that we would get to know so well is forming here. Stan is the simpleton and he knows it, Ollie is the man who thinks he's a genius, but always falls way short. One thing Ollie is not is a marksman, a fact he proves by frightening everyone in the house with his shooting.

Future frenemies are formed here.

Although not the first "Official" L & H film,this was the first time the boys wore their celebrated bowler hats,an essential part of detectives' garb at the time.A bit frantic in places,DO DETECTIVES THINK? nevertheless presents us with the embryos that were to develop into the greatest comedy team in cinema history.Often mechanical,the film has lively supporting performances from James Finlayson and Noah Young,and still has very funny scenes,especially when Ollie(playing a character named Sherlock Pinkham!)is given two black eyes.Stan has the equally absurd character name of Ferdinand Finkleberry! Not their best short by a long short,but historically interesting.6 out of 10.