Key Largo

1948s “Key Largo“, directed by John Hudson.

Starring Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Edward G. Robinson, Lionel Barrymore, Claire Trevor, Monty Blue, and Thomas Gomez.

Winner of an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress (Claire Trevor).

What is it about?

“Key Largo” is about an ex military major (Humphrey Bogart) who while travelling in Florida, stops in to see a fallen comrade’s father (Lionel Barrymore). Barrymore runs a hotel with his fetching daughter (Lauren Bacall), however Bogart finds some unusual guests staying there. With a hurricane level storm raging outside, a gang of gangsters (lead by Edward G. Robinson) take the group hostage, and Bogart engages with Robinson in a battle of wits to stay alive. Will Bacall and Bogart be able to consummate their attraction to each other with their lives at stake?

Why is it worth seeing?

“Key Largo” is a film featuring a psychological game of cat and mouse between the detached but honourable Bogart, and a ruthless and cunning Robinson. Many a scene displays the war for Bogart’s soul, depicted here as a battle between his head and his heart. With the hurricane turning the household into essentially a bottle episode, there’s nowhere to hide in director John Hudson’s classic.

As mentioned above, the strongest elements of “Key Largo” are with Bogart needing to decide his course of action regarding his newfound enemy, Robinson. While it’s fun to watch those 2 tangle, I didn’t pick up a lot of chemistry between Bogart and Bacall, other than admiring each other from afar- a troubling discovery, given the 2 had been married for 3 years upon “Key Largo”’s release.

More troubling is the difficulty in addressing some of the inappropriate societal themes so prevalent in this era- the movie’s depictions of “Indians”, and women (as in how to treat them) are likely relevant to the spirit of the movie’s release date zeitgeist, but it doesn’t make it any easier to watch. Indeed, Claire Trevor would win an Oscar for her portrayal of a battered girlfriend who is discarded by her mean partner to an indifferent audience.

Huston does a good job of highlighting tension in tight quarters, but also leaves some issues unresolved, such as a bullet wound that seems to go away, and questions about the structural integrity of a house that may not outlast a hurricane. “Key Largo” works best as a memorial to that particular time period, and it’s always nice to visit a Bogart production, even if it’s no “Casablanca”.

Rating:

3.5/5

Trailer: Click Here.