Release Date: July 16, 1948
Running Time: 101 minutes
Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Edward G. Robinson, Lauren Bacall, Lionel Barrymore
Directed by: John Huston
The final, and best, collaboration between Humphrey Bogart and Edward G. Robinson, Key Largo can be chalked up among the best films starring either powerhouse. It was based on a play by Maxwell Anderson that opened nearly a decade before and retains some of the feeling of a play. But where other films have suffered from this Key Largo flourishes, primarily because it benefits greatly from the stuffiness and claustrophobia that is inherent in many filmed plays. That atmosphere plays into the story’s strengths and elevates it above similar filmed plays like The Petrified Forrest.
Key Largo begins with Frank McCloud (Bogart), an army veteran, traveling to Key Largo, Florida to meet the father of George Temple, one of his army friends who perished in the war. He’s also there to pay his respects to George’s widow. The two live in a hotel on the island that is in the process of buckling down in preparation for an oncoming hurricane. Frank’s welcome is a little cold from the guests of the hotel who immediately seem cold and unfriendly with the exception of Gaye Dawn (Claire Trevor) an alcoholic woman who can’t function without being constantly inebriated. The others, Toots (Harry Lewis), Curly (Thomas Gomez), Ralph (William Haade), and Angel (Dan Seymour) insist that the hotel is closed and Frank would be better moving on. A sixth guest remains unseen upstairs in their room.
Frank receives a more warm welcome from the hotel’s owner, George’s father James (Lionel Barrymore) and his daughter-in-law Nora (Lauren Bacall). The two have been starving for information about Nora’s deceased husband and are excited to meet Frank, especially after he proves to them just how close he was to George during the war. James, who is wheelchair bound, invites Frank to stay on at the hotel once the hurricane passes but Frank is reluctant to accept the offer.
As the winds begin to pick up the final guest of the hotel makes his appearance. Johnny Rocco (Edward G. Robinson) is a former heavyweight gangster, a relic of the Prohibition Era who has found himself being kicked out of the United States. He is hiding out at the hotel, waiting out the storm as well as a visit from some contacts intent on buying counterfeit money from him, before setting sail back to Cuba. His ultimate goals are a little vague but there is some talk of re-establishing prohibition so that a select number of gang leaders can profit again from the racket rather than the self-destructive way it happened the last time. It is a weak motive that feels exactly like it is, a pipe dream and maybe Rocco even believes that a little, even as he is fleeing back to Cuba.
The rest of the film is taught and intense as Rocco holds everyone hostage inside the hotel while the storm prevents anyone from leaving. Things are not rosy for Rocco though as the claustrophobia brought on by the storm starts to wear on his state of mind, driving him to be more and more uneven as the hours pass. This coupled with his natural cruelty leave Frank, James and Nora as well as a captured deputy, Sawyer, in fear of their lives.
Key Largo is a beautifully made film that almost gets away with faking it’s location. Discerning eyes will easily be able to tell that the entire film was made indoors, including scenes depicting the breach and ocean. Yet despite that it never feels small scale. There is no doubt this is a stage play adapted for the big screen yet, obvious sets or not, it feels at times more open than a typical play. Once the action moves entirely indoors though things change and it takes on a much different tone. This is intentional and as the characters start feeling trapped inside, so do we. This is well staged by a director who knew what he wanted to portray and exactly how to do it. Lip service is given about how stuffy the atmosphere inside has gotten despite the storm and the nighttime and the farther into things it gets the more the characters, Rocco especially, start perspiring. This helps sell the idea that Rocco is starting to feel the claustrophobia as he is trapped inside the hotel just as much as his hostages.
Rocco’s grasp on sanity is tenuous from the start and Robinson plays it to the hilt. We get glimpses of it early on in his contempt for Gaye. At first he seems more put out by her and her alcoholism, mocking her in front of his men and the hostages. Later, we get to see just how deep his inhumanity really goes. In one of the best scenes in the whole film he pushes Gaye into singing one of her stage tunes for the whole group with the promise that if she does he will allow her to have a drink, something he has withheld from her for several hours to the point she is shaking and desperate. She agrees and performs a song for the group, unpolished and poorly. Afterwards, Rocco mocks her attempt and refuses her the drink on the pretense that she doesn’t deserve it for such a lousy performance. Frank, pitying her, pours her a drink anyway, incurring the wrath of Rocco for his display of mercy.
There is a sub-plot about some Seminole Indian friends of James Temple who usually use the hotel to shelter from hurricanes. Two of these are escaped convicts whom James has agreed to hide under the understanding that after the hurricane they will turn themselves in to the law. Rocco refuses to allow them access to the hotel and they must ride the storm out just outside the doors. This sub-plot really doesn’t go anywhere other than to provide a scapegoat for a murder later on as well as to demonstrate the humanity and good-natured personality of James and his daughter. For large stretches of the film we forget they are even outside during the events. It feels a little tacked on but otherwise serves it’s purpose, as little as that is.
This is an actors film. It is filled with moments and monologues that could easily be used in a awards ceremony reel. Surprisingly only Claire Trevor came out of it with any real recognition securing a win at the Academy Awards for best supporting actress. Her afore mentioned musical number definitely helped her secure that win. But Bogart and especially Robinson are equally good here. There is a real nuance to Robinson’s portrayal here that heartens back to his earlier gangster rolls without falling back on stereotypes. Likewise, Bogart is great throughout as the war veteran who is conflicted about whether he is to be the hero or step back and wait things out.
Key Largo has a reputation for a reason. It is a taught film full of claustrophobic atmosphere and many great moments. It is never boring and never runs out of steam. Then ending is a little rushed but otherwise is satisfying if not really surprising. Ultimately it is a well directed and well acted stage play that doesn’t expand the staging yet doesn’t need to. It is a satisfying watch and rightly deserves it position as a true classic of the era.
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