Key Largo

1948 "A storm of fear and fury in the sizzling Florida Keys!"
7.7| 1h40m| NR| en| More Info
Released: 16 July 1948 Released
Producted By: Warner Bros. Pictures
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
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A hurricane swells outside, but it's nothing compared to the storm within the hotel at Key Largo. There, sadistic mobster Johnny Rocco holes up - and holds at gunpoint hotel owner James Temple, his widowed daughter-in-law Nora, and ex-GI Frank McCloud.

Genre

Thriller, Crime

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Director

John Huston

Production Companies

Warner Bros. Pictures

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Key Largo Audience Reviews

Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.
Quiet Muffin This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.
Kinley This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows
Jenni Devyn Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.
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.
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.
Thomas Drufke What's so great about Film-noir's is that they thrust the audience into uncomfortable and alienating situations. While Key Largo is in most ways a lighter noir, it still creates a great amount dread and ominous situations, all a tribute to John Huston's wonderful direction here. Key Largo re-teamed Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall for the 4th and final time and it is yet another gem in their resumes. Lionel Barrymore, Edward G. Robinson, and Claire Trevor round out a tremendously talented cast. It helps that Key Largo is based on a play which gives the actors plenty of room to thrive in this crime drama film noir. Trevor won the Oscar for supporting actress and she's incredible, but Barrymore never fails to amaze me in a wheelchair. Between this, You Can't Take it With You, and It's a Wonderful Life, he has gave me some of the most enjoyable movie experiences, so thank you Mr. Barrymore.The film delves into a man's (Bogart) post World War II trip to his friends hotel when they are stranded with a bunch of gangsters during a hurricane. The premise itself thrives as a stage production by it also manages to give us an engaging and thrilling cinematic experience as well. I love how there is never any real assurance from the writing or direction that this film will be a happy ending, which makes it such a great noir. A hurricane and a bunch of gangsters? The only actor qualified for such circumstances has to be the one and only Humphrey Bogart.In all seriousness, Key Largo is a really good film. With a setting that sticks to the confinement of the hotel for 90% of the film, I can't speak highly enough of the directing and acting. It's difficult to make an action film with plenty of vivacious settings to be engaging for 90 minutes but Key Largo manages to it with one hotel, that's impressive. The character arcs of both Robinson's Johnny Rocco and Bogart's Frank Mcloud are interestingly paralleled. Both have nowhere to go or fit in and they both plenty of desires and hopes. To me, the scenes between both of them were the most fascinating. So overall, Key Largo is a classic. It gives you everything you want from a noir standpoint, while also creating a solid crime thriller in the process.+Direction+Barrymore always steals the show+Noir elements8.7/10
Christopher Reid I often feel like I don't fully understand these kinds of movies. Old ones basically, where there's lots of talking. Ways of life have changed so much. I don't get all of the social cues that are going on. I have no idea what the subtext of all the dialogue is. And yet, I've gotten used to certain patterns over time. I can tell when something's about to go down or if a character's lying or pushing buttons. Still, words aren't needed for certain facial expressions, you can immediately tell what someone is feeling or thinking.Most of this movie takes place in a hotel. Something comes up and some gangsters are forced to reveal themselves and take the guests and owners as hostages. They don't want any trouble. But then a hurricane comes and things get more complicated. Nobody can leave, at least for a while. Maybe someone will try to be a hero or talk smart. The tension builds.Johnny Rocco is a famous gangster (based on Al Capone and Lucky Luciano) who all the regular people despise. So much so that some of them can't keep it to themselves in spite of the harm it might bring to them. Edward G. Robinson really gets into the role alternating between brutal coldness and smarmy talking. He's confident but Frank McCloud (Humphrey Bogart) begins to see weaknesses, giving him some leverage. Frank talks logic, he thinks ahead and explains things.Key Largo seems to have a bit of a theme about war veterans in contrast with gangsters, these two extremes of Americans. The really noble, brave kind Vs. the heartless, selfish, evil kind. Frank (like every Bogart character) announces that he only cares about his own business and it seems true. But even he has to morally conclude that stopping someone like Rocco by any means could only be a good thing. This means he's willing to take some risks to harm Rocco which puts himself and the others in danger. I think there's a bit more emotion here from Bogart than usual. He even smiles a couple of times.The finale was pretty riveting and satisfying. It's always good when you're actually rooting for the good guys and you want the bad guys dead (because they're that bad). And you're on the edge of your seat because you hope things turn out well but know that anything could happen. It shows that you believe in and care about the characters. Well, what a turbulent experience for all of them!