Key Largo

Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Edward G. Robinson, Lauren Bacall, Lionel Barrymore, Claire Trevor, Thomas Gomez, John Rodney
Directed by: John Huston
Rating: Not rated
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
1948

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A gangster (Edward G. Robinson) holds an old man (Lionel Barrymore), his daughter-in-law (Lauren Bacall) and his late son's commanding officer (Humphrey Bogart) in a hotel during a hurricane in Key Largo.

Review:

Tim: The set up for this film is fantastic. Ex-soldier Humphrey Bogart is trapped with an old man and his deceased son's wife by a gangster in a hotel during a hurricane. Read that again. The concept is brilliant, and this film works hard to back that up.

Bogart is very good in the role. He is convincing as a man torn by what he feels like doing and what he knows he should do. This internal struggle is fascinating to watch on screen. While Bogart has definitely been better, he is still quite exceptional here.

Lauren Bacall is a good match for Bogart (obviously). I am not a huge fan of her, but she acts well enough to be enjoyable in the role.

The hurricane is one of the most interesting aspects of the story. It changes this from a typical gangster-hostage movie into something completely different.

One of my biggest problems with the movie is the portrayal of the gangster. He has to be one of the least frightening and most ineffective villains I can think of. If the character was more menacing, the entire film would have been better.

Still, Key Largo is a solid film that features a good performance by Bogart and is unique in many of its elements. Fans of the star or the genre should not miss this.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: High Sierra, The Caine Mutiny, The Maltese Falcon, Casablanca