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Grimerlana Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

Suman Roberson It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

Kimball Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

mlink-36-9815 Has closeups when needed for emphasis. my favorite line by Johnny Rocco "anybody wanna buy a hero cheap?"............... turns out he really was a hero but needed to choose his opportunity.

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.

Kirpianuscus simple great. for performances, sure. but, in same measure, for the splendid atmosphere. who remains unique. because it is slice of a period.a period with its heroes, values and faiths. with its sensitivity and force of suggestion. a film who could reminds many roles of Bogart and Robinson and Bacall. and who reminds the great talent of Lionel Barrymore . a film of atmosphere, special in each aspect, impressive at whole, it is just a masterpiece.

Jackson Schreiber Set in the Key Largo Island, Key Largo places itself above its contemporaries as one of the definitive crime/gangster movies of the 1940's due to a superb cast, an excellent story, an unnerving setting and tense camera-work. John Huston holds the film together, allowing the characters, settings, and atmosphere to thrive on the screen.Johnny Rocco, played by Edward G. Robinson, remains one the most memorable gangsters to grace the screen, threatening but mortal. He knows there is such a thing as a fatal mistake, as he panics when a hurricane hits the resort, nearly ruining his deal with American associates. Yet even when the hurricane is hitting the resort, Rocco remains domineering and frightening, forcing his hostages to keep quiet when a sheriff visits with the threat of death, and even kills one that tries to escape. On the other side of the coin, Humphrey Bogart plays Frank McCloud, a World War II veteran and one of the hostages captured by Rocco. Unlike most heroic hostages in other movies, McCloud not only knows he's at a serious disadvantage, he subjects himself to that disadvantage and doesn't fight back, but waits. And waits. And waits until the end. In one of the movies tensest scenes, Rocco offers McCloud the chance to kill him. McCloud declines the chance, knowing he would be shot by Rocco's henchmen soon after. One of the other hostages takes the chance, and is promptly shot by Rocco. Rocco quickly reveals the gun he offered McCloud had no bullets, thus being a complete waste and instant death. McCloud proves himself as the standout hostage because of his common sense and his stoicism, barely flinching when Rocco threatens him.Other notable mentions in the cast include Lionel Barrymore as James Temple, the hotel owner who despises Rocco; Lauren Bacall as Nora Temple, the widow of a veteran whom McCloud knew; and Claire Trevor ended up winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal as Gaye Dawn, a drunken singer and the moll of Rocco.The ending to Key Largo seals the movie's reputation, finally allowing McCloud to take his revenge on Rocco and his henchmen, thus giving him his freedom. The ending shootout remains one of film's more memorable, handled with care yet as tense and surprising as the scenes inside the hotel. With its superb cast and tense atmosphere, Key Largo remains one of the definitive gangster films of the 1940's.