On K List of Movie Reviews
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Key Largo (1948)
Rate:
8
Viewed:
12/05, 11/13, 11/21
12/05:
Key Largo is a static talky picture.
I had high hopes because of the strong cast and director John Huston, but it's a big letdown. The characters are
stuck in a hotel and forced to wait out the tropical storm nearly the whole time.
Humphrey Bogart and Edward G. Robinson do what they can, but it's not enough. Lauren Bacall isn't much of an actress.
Lionel Barrymore is useless. Claire Trevor won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar just for one scene.
All in all, Key Largo is never interesting enough to pass the time.
11/13:
My opinion still hasn't changed.
Key Largo remains a dull, static picture because it takes place inside the hotel most of the time, waiting for the
tropical storm to pass over, and all everybody can do is talk.
As much of star power as Humphrey Bogart and Edward G. Robinson bring to the film, it isn't enough. However, each does
have a movie moment. The former has a classic reaction after learning about the murder of the Osceola brothers, and the
latter has a shaving scene which is at once fascinating and arresting to watch.
Claire Trevor's Oscar win as the drunk doxy is the most laughable aspect. Believe me, she's anything but. Lauren Bacall
apparently thinks that looks are enough to get by, but she still can't act. Lionel Barrymore,
who's stuck in the wheelchair and spews a litany of what he'll do to Johnny Rocco, is boring to listen to.
All in all, Key Largo is tedious.
11/21:
What an old movie Key Largo is, but the pairing of Humphrey Bogart and Edward G. Robinson is tremendous.
Of course, it's kind of like To Have and Have Not all over again. Clearly a play, the dialogue isn't
that bad, and because of the superior acting quality, I manage to get through it well. What's tough about sitting through
this ordeal is everybody is cooped up in the hotel until the storm clears. Oddly enough, the whole thing was mostly
shot on a sound stage with the rest in the backlot or water tank instead of the Florida Keys.
Claire Trevor may have won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, but I don't see anything noteworthy although I understand
the sad scene of terrible singing clinched it for her. As a curmudgeon, Lionel Barrymore has played the same thing over
and over in many films. Lauren Bacall is beautiful but isn't much of an actress. Therefore, the true stars of the show
are Humphrey Bogart and Edward G. Robinson. The shaving scene with the latter is brilliant.
All in all, Key Largo is a solid film noir picture that's made possible by superior acting from the leading stars.