Buster Keaton and Virginia Fox play young lovers who live in tenements, the rear of which face each other, with backyards separated by a wooden fence. Their families feud over the lovers' relationship, resulting in much mayhem and slapstick.The Romeo and Juliet story played out in a tenement neighborhood with Buster and Virginia's families hating each other over the fence separating their buildings. ThisveryKafka-esquefilmisKeaton’sresponsetotheFattyArbucklescandal.[citationneeded]Eventhoughthecentralcharacter’sintentionsaregood,hecannotwin,nomatterhowinventivelyhetries.Hegetsintovariousscrapswithpoliceofficersthroughoutthefilm.Eventually,heunwittinglythrowsabombintoapoliceparadeandendsupbeingchasedbyahordeofcops.Attheendofthefilm,Keaton’scharacterlocksupthecopsinthepolicestation.However,thegirlheistryingtowoodisapprovesofhisbehaviorandgiveshimthecoldshoulder.Therefore,heunlocksthepolicestationandisimmediatelypulledinbythecops.Thefilmendswiththetitle"TheEnd"writtenonatombstonewithKeaton’sporkpiehatproppedonit.OneofKeaton’smosticonicandbrilliantly-constructedshortfilms,Copswasdeemed"culturally,historically,oraestheticallysignificant"bytheUnitedStatesLibraryofCongressandselectedforpreservationintheirNationalFilmRegistryin1997. 
