Vimacone The gangster film had significantly changed since the mid-30's as did the roles of the actors that originally portrayed them. Edward G. Robinson, Humphrey Bogart, and James Cagney had played different and more complex roles, which were often more savory characters than the ones that made them famous.Key Largo seems reminiscent of THE PETRIFIED FOREST (1936), which also starred Humphrey Bogart, but in a reverse role. Both are about a disillusioned traveler caught up in a hostage situation during adverse weather conditions.Edward G. Robinson continues to play the ruthless sociopathic gangster that made him famous in LITTLE CAESAR. While he was usually entertaining in the older roles, here he is a more threatening and convincing menace. I find it remarkable how effectively he was able to portray those type of characters which were reportedly in sharp contrast to his real life persona. There are so many twists and turns in the story, that the first time viewers are never quite sure how the story will turn out or what will happen to the characters. (SPOILER: I am glad that Bogie's character was spared, unlike the characters of that type like in THE PETRIFIED FOREST or BULLETS OR BALLOTS). This is an excellent thriller that will leave the viewer on the edge of their seat. A classic that has aged very well.

Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de) "Key Largo" is an American 100-minute movie from 1948, so this one will have its 70th anniversary next year. At this age, it is of course a black-and-white (sound) film. It is one of the more known works from the film noir genre and also by writer and director John Huston, who scored one of his many Oscar nominations for his work here briefly before winning twice in the same year. The main character is played by the legendary Humphrey Bogart, a man returning to a hotel to talk to a fellow soldier's girl about her late love and also to meet an old friends. But he finds a great deal of trouble there as gangsters have gained control over the place. As a result of that, almost the entire film is a hostage situation and with all the trouble inside, things outside are not looking much better as a dangerous hurricane is moving closer and closer.Bogart does a solid job overall, but it is a character that is not too demanding. The biggest letdown is Bacall here though, who already married to Bogart at that point. She plays the widow and honestly the film would have been the exact same without her, maybe even better as that moment when she looks at Bogart during the song is a bit cringeworthy. Shouldn't she be mourning her man instead? In general, the film lacks shades quite a bit. The characters are either 100% good people or 100% bad people with the exception of Claire Trevor. This may also have helped her in winning her Oscar here as she plays a character who is relatively close to the gangsters' boss, but has turned into a wreck of her former self because of alcohol, smoking and gambling. The moment she sings is only a brief return to her former glory days as she really only does it to get some booze as a reward. She really is the only one with some character development as we see her beg her boss not to leave her behind, but then she quickly becomes one of the good guys at the very end. This also shows that she wasn't really evil, but just a victim of her situation. I still have to see many more 1948 films to decide if she really is the best from that year.It's either her who is the most interesting character here or Edward G. Robinson's who dreams of bringing back the old days of crime and becoming truly influential again. But it is obvious he is really only strong thanks to his gun and has nothing that makes him an even match for Bogart's character. Even his henchmen do not seem to take him seriously all the time and maybe they still are the aftermath of the old days, but you can see them drifting apart too. Maybe it is the great deal of screen time and the question if he was lead or supporting that kept Robinson here from becoming an Oscar nominee too. A bit of a pity. As for the film itself, I would not rate it as highly as it stands here on IMDb, but it was a fairly interesting and tense watch from start to finish. Definitely worth checking out for those who love the old days of Hollywood, even if they probably did already. So maybe it is actually a good start for those who want to find out if this era in filmmaking is to their liking. It's a thumbs-up and I suggest you go for it.

avik-basu1889 John Huston's 'Key Largo' is set in a Post World War II America and the film is unapologetic about showcasing the pessimism that had enveloped America and Americans after the war. It's about the loss of a self-respecting identity. This is epitomised by the character of Frank McCloud played by Humphrey Bogart. This is not a very characteristic role for Bogart. McCloud is a war veteran who has now become a homeless drifter due to his lack of interest in a settled life. He is a sane version of Travis Bickle, he might have been a vibrant, hopeful man in his pre-service days, but after coming back from the war and watching an America that has further collapsed into corruption, mob activity and evil, he has slipped into a state of depression and deliberate indifference. Bogart gives a subdued performance with moments of tenderness reminiscent of the tenderness of Rick Blaine in 'Casablanca'. But McCloud also shows signs of selfishness and cowardly reluctance which are a consequence of his pessimism towards life after war. There is an ambiguity to his character that makes him interesting.Lauren Bacall doesn't give us the quintessential 'Lauren Bacall' performance either. Instead of being the 'Femme fatale' with the seductive allure and the sharp tongue, her character Nora is a sweet, kind-hearted widow taking care of her father-in-law. There are genuinely sweet and charming moments between Bogart and Bacall. Nora's presence and her innocent sweetness has an undeniable effect on McCloud which makes him reconsider his moral stance and contemplate the idea doing something instead of continuing his reluctance about standing up to the gangsters.Edward G. Robinson is a dynamite in every scene he is in. Johnny Rocco oozes charisma and a sense of control. It takes a lot to be in the same scene with Bogart and go toe to toe with him in terms of exuding authoritativeness, but Robinson does it effortlessly.Although Huston doesn't use too many attention seeking shots or too much fancy camera work, one can easily see the noir-ish elements in the lighting and prominent shadows in the film. There are some carefully used tracking shots and extreme close-ups for artistic purposes that work perfectly and the film on Blu-Ray looks very pleasing to the eye. Huston's biggest achievement is maintaining a tone of suspense throughout the running time. The staging of 90 percent of the film in the confines of the interiors of Hotel Largo adds to the claustrophobia which the viewer feels along with McCloud, Nora and Temple. The only flaw is that the shootout scenes are very clumsily directed and almost look comical now after all these years.'Key Largo' is thematically a film which wrestles the idea of whether someone should or shouldn't give a damn even if he/she feels an assertive action doesn't mean much in the bigger picture. A thematically potent core along with good direction and acting make 'Key Largo' an easy recommendation.

vincentlynch-moonoi This movie has all the right ingredients, but falls down if "movie claustrophobia" bothers you. And that's the one real negative here. Almost all of the action takes place in one or two rooms of an old hotel, with occasional brief scenes outside to remind you you're at the Florida Keys and/or that there's a hurricane. Only the first 5 minutes of the film and the last 15 take place outside those couple of rooms at the hotel. As a result, there are times that it seems like an overly-talkative film with less action than you would expect from a team of actors including Humphrey Bogart and Edward G. Robinson. I had the same feeling when watching "The Petrified Forest" -- too much like a stage play.However, once you get past that "movie claustrophobia", there's lots to like here. Overall, the story is a good one. World War II has ended and ex-soldier Humphrey Bogart travels to Key Largo to visit the father (Lionel Barrymore) and wife (Lauren Bacall) of a soldier-friend who was killed in a battle. Barrymore and Bacall own an old hotel on Key Largo, and they unknowingly rented the place to a mobster (Edward G. Robinson) and his thugs who are waiting there for a counterfeit deal to take place. Robinson is an Italian mobster who was thrown out of the country, but hoping to return, and appears to currently be based in Cuba. Robinson is somewhat sadistic, particularly toward Bacall and his alcoholic ex-girlfriend (Claire Trevor). While waiting for the counterfeiters, a hurricane strikes, making things all the more tense. Once the deal goes down, Bogie is forced to sail the thugs back to Cuba. Will they make it, or will Bogie thwart them and return to fall in love with Bacall? This is a strong performance by Humphrey Bogart as a sort of anti-hero who seems to be balancing the need to be wise and not cowardly in dealing with the mobsters. A problem here is that Robinson shots him in the stomach several times in one scene, but the gun misfires or is not loaded. Why? One might say that Edward G. Robinson "eats up the scenery" as mobster Johnny Rocco. Another strong performance...or is it stereotypical of the era? If it is the latter, I'd prefer to blame it on the director, rather than Robinson.Lauren Bacall doesn't sizzle here...that would have been inappropriate. She's rather docile, and as a result less interesting than in her other film encounters with Bogart. But the role didn't call for sizzling; it called for a grieving wife.I'm not sure that Lionel Barrymore's character was appropriate, either. With his mouth, I would have expected him to be the first to be killed by Robinson. But again, Barrymore didn't write the script or direct the film, so I'll not blame him. Barrymore made 6 films after this, and was alive for 6 more years, but he looked very unwell and surprisingly fat in this film.Perhaps the best acting in the picture is by Claire Trevor as the alcoholic Gaye Dawn. The key to her Oscar winning supporting role was that she was careful not to overact her drunkenness, and as a result she gains the sympathy of the viewer here.Of the supporting actors, Thomas Gomez as one of the thugs is outstanding, giving a different characterization than one might expect; he was an accomplished character actor. The brash young punk role was played by Harry Lewis; I guess he was "okay". Marc Lawrence was somewhat interesting as one of the counterfeiters. Monte Blue is somewhat interesting as the overwhelmed local sheriff. You'll also recognize Jay Silverheels as one of the Indians in an uncredited role; Silverheels later became the much-beloved Tonto in "The Lone Ranger".The stage-like nature of this film prevents it from becoming a great film, but it's still quite good and definitely worth a watch.This viewing I watched the new Blu Ray release. While it's a "good" transfer, I'm not sure it was worth the upgrade from DVD. I've seen much better Blu Rays from the same era.