I appreciated the thesis of this movie more than the execution, and it certainly took a long time to arrive at that thesis. While I can see Chaplin making a (quite subversive) argument against war and for increased social supports that is interesting to watch, the movie itself is a minor slog. It's funny, in parts, because of course Chaplin's genius is still there (even if it's creaky at times adjusting to the sound era.) But it's difficult to watch the women (possible exception for The Girl, played by Marilyn Nash) because both writing and performance contribute to what felt like a tone of misogyny that I found offputting.

It can be funny at times, yet it's mostly dull. The direction is old fashioned, the sets are awful, and the acting is pretty cheesy. But the biggest issues are that the main characters are borderline hateable, the story takes almost an hour to get going, and the ending is corny.

"That’s the history of many a big business. Wars, conflict, it’s all business. One murder makes a villain, millions a hero. Numbers sanctify my good fellow."