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.

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.

Python Hyena Key Largo (1948): Dir: John Huston / Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Edward G. Robinson, Claire Trevor, Lionel Barrymore: John Huston's disaster film is well made yet sometimes corny thriller about destination and the dangers surrounding. Edward G. Robinson heads a gang that takes several hostages within a resort hotel while pulling a heist. A terrible storm throws a damper into his plans and causes havoc. Starts out well with the arrival of Humphrey Bogart and two Indians who escaped jail but gave themselves up. The structure is stagy and the ending is cheesy with Humphrey Bogart sailing back and Lauren Bacall letting in the sunshine. Director Huston receives a credible performance where Bogart uses brains over brawn. Huston previously directed Bogart in The Maltese Falcon. Bacall is limited as a hinted damsel whose gushing scene in the conclusion gives happy endings a bad name. Robinson steal the film as the head villain who survives stagey material with convincing mannerisms that are eventually outdone. Claire Trevor steals moments as his drunken lounge singer whom he mistreats. Lionel Barrymore plays Bacall's father who own the hotel. He didn't plan on a second disaster though. Entertaining and well produced film that further places Huston among the innovators. Strong theme regards nature as an unpredictable force against man. Score: 6 ½ / 10