Key Largo

One of my thoughts was that they don't make movies like they used to, and that's a good thing. I found this movie, like a lot of old movies, not especially engaging, and maybe a little too complicated in its story. The romance between Bogart and Bacall is barely developed. If everything you know about this movie comes from the hit song, you are likely to be disappointed. It's really not a romance. More of a thriller, but maybe not a very good one. Still, Bacall is lovely, and Bogart is Bogart, plus there is a hurricane, so maybe it is worth watching.

Robinson is Great, Bacall is Great, & Bogart is Excellent! Top 5 of Bogies career

A very mature film for it's time. The characters are mindful and largely rational. It's odd to see a b&w film with intelligent leads without instant, undying love stories appearing out of thin air or bounty of ridiculous notions you need to excuse as included as a product of its time. Note that I'm not saying there's no chemistry and promise for love. And there's some (well-intentioned?) indigenous stereotypes. (Lacking perfect execution and consisting of false representation). It's entertaining AF though. Easily one of my favourite movies of the 40's era. I enjoyed it so much upon my very first watch I ordered the Blu-ray.

Bogart and Bacall are great in this tense drama facing off against classic bad guy Edward G. Robinson and his sidekicks, which include the talented Thomas Gomez. Director John Huston scores yet another hit.

There are some great performances here, but the movie is filled with potentially interesting ideas about heroism and the nature of evil that are sidelined for some pretty dull gangster villains that even Robinson can't make all that interesting.

Good enough to keep me interested through out. Though maybe a bit too direct at times this noir seemed to be more thoughtful in comparison to most other noirs of the time. The film is both shot, and acted beautifully and the plot was enough to keep me engaged throughout. Like I said the main critic comes from its less than stellar script. I think this film is a great watch for those that want to look back on previous American "values" and "ideals" or for any fan of the noir genre. Highly recommend.

Key Largo is a good demonstration of the value of star power, and how it can sometimes overcome the weakness of the original source material. The story was based on a script that had to be rewritten extensively, as the movie's director John Huston thought it was poor. The final script is presumably much better, but it does have its weaknesses. Lionel Barrymore draws the short straw here, and he is left to struggle with some insipid dialogue. The movie had other constraints. It was based on a play, and this accounts for its stagey settings. Almost all the action takes place in one hotel, and we have to wait until the end of the movie to see any real action. After his last movie ran over budget, Huston was kept in rein here. The storm scenes are obvious models and, as if that is not bad enough, they are stock footage lifted from an earlier Warner Brothers movie, Night Unto Night. And yet…and yet…Key Largo is an immensely entertaining movie that overcomes the limitations of its script, budget and setting. While a good cast and a good director cannot always redeem a bad movie, consider the talent that is on offer here. It has a great villain in Edward G Robinson. At the time Robinson's status was so high that his name had appeared above Humphrey Bogart's in all of their movies together. For this, their last time together onscreen, the two had equal status. Robinson's standing was still so strong that he is given a delayed entry in the movie, adding dramatic weight when he finally does appear. The movie also marks the final pairing of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, the couple whose offscreen and onscreen chemistry added flavour to the four movies they made together. As the hero Bogart has more to do, and Bacall is often left to give smouldering looks at Bogart. However there are moments when we catch of a glimpse of Bacall's more spirited screen persona. She is ready to scratch or spit on Robinson's face, and to bitterly criticise Bogart for his seeming cowardice. We should also not forget Claire Trevor. Her performance as the faded lush, Gaye Dawn, adds pathos to the movie, and won her a Best Supporting Actress Oscar. She plays a singer who was the lover of Johnny Rocco (Edward G Robinson) before he was expelled from America. After not seeing her for eight years, Rocco is disgusted to find that she has slid into alcoholism and lost her singing talent. However the greatest star of all is John Huston, the talented director who made so many great movies over a number of decades. It is Huston who managed to paper over the cracks in the movie, and to tease good acting performances from his cast. The result is a movie that strains for a far greater significance than its gangster movie origins might suggest. I wrote a longer appreciation of Key Largo on my blog page if you would like to read more: https://themoviescreenscene.wordpress.com/2017/09/19/key-largo-1948/

Edward G. Robinson really shows how good he actually is,as does the rest of the stellar cast,highly recommend.

A John Houston classic who works again with Bogart as he did in another 1948 classic Treasure of the Sierra Madre. In Key Largo ,gangster Johnny Rocco ,portrayed by the superb performance of Edward G Robinson ,commandeers a Keys Hotel and endures a hurricane while awaiting a shipment of contraband. Bogart has come to the hotel on a mission of mercy as he was the commanding officer of the hotel managers son, who was killed in action in the war. Lauren Bacall plays the wife of the soldier that was killed. Claire Trevor as Robinson's mistress was superb in her role as an alcoholic singer, but it was Robinson who ultimately steals the show. Even after 75 years this film is a great watch.

Fine, taught drama with superlative performances by Bogart, Robinson, and Bacall, along with able support from Barrymore and a sad, soulful Trevor. Having the story unfold primarily within the confines of the hotel with the specter of a brewing hurricane merely adds to the feeling of suspense, with the inevitable climax uplifting and satisfying. The tension and crisp dialogue between Robinson and Bogart is of particular interest as it magnifies the talent to these superb actors.