Just Pals (1920)
*** (out of 4)
Early John Ford feature has Buck Jones playing a hobo named Bim who is hated by all the adults in his town because they see him as a disgrace and nothing else. One day Bim comes across a young boy (George Stone) who has ran away from home and the two quickly become friends, which will be tested when a doctor tries to take advantage of them. This is the earliest film I've seen from Ford and it really caught me off guard because it's really a lot different than the later day Ford films, which most people know by heart. A lot of the later day Ford films are rather cold hearted or feature lead characters who we hate yet we go along for a ride with them. That's not the case here as Ford paints a perfect picture and builds up the world and spirit of the time that the film takes place. The picture comes off very authentic and contains a loving heart of friendship. Jones is terrific in his role and really makes the character very memorable and likable. Stone is just as good as is the rest of the supporting cast. The film runs a short 50-minutes and really flies by quickly as there aren't any worthless scenes dragging down the action. This film plays much like many of D.W. Griffith's melodramas, which isn't too shocking since Ford got his start with Griffith.
