By Michael Colford
Rating: 3 cats
Director: John Huston
Starring: Claire Trevor | Edward G. Robinson | Harry Lewis | Humphrey Bogart | John Rodney | Lauren Bacall | Lionel Barrymore | Marc Lawrence | Thomas Gomez
Country: united_states
Year: 1948
Running time: 100
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040506/reference
Michael says: “After seeing THE BIG SLEEP, I had to watch the rest of Bogie and Bacall’s oeuvre. Count me as one of the many who are smitten by their chemistry. I’m particularly taken by Lauren Bacall’s assured and powerful screen presence. Sadly, of the three films I’ve seen, the much lauded KEY LARGO is the soggiest, but still entertaining enough. Adapted by Huston and Richard Brooks from a play by Maxwell Anderson, the action takes place largely in the confines of a hotel in Key Largo. Former military man Frank McCloud (Bogart) stops by for a visit to see the father and widow his former partner-in-arms who died in combat. James (Lionel Barrymore) and Nora (Bacall) Temple run the hotel and unbeknownst to the three of them, a gangster and his posse have taken up residence for a shady meeting, despite the powerful hurricane that is bearing down upon the island.
“The disappointment in KEY LARGO stems from the rather uninspired character Bacall is forced to inhabit. She does her best to bring some life to the character, but there isn’t much to work with. More entertaining is Claire Trevor as Gaye Dawn, the gangsters aging moll, and quite the lush at that. She’s pathetic, conniving, and kind of charming, all at once. No mean feat. And the gangster in question? Edward G. Robinson himself. Cruel and glowering, he certainly doesn’t hold back in his wide-eyed performance. Not a bad way to spend some time but a pale imitation to Bogie and Bacall’s other work. 3 cats”