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![]() If Film Noir is your thing, "Key Largo" is a must. There is an early appearance by Jay Silverheels, Tonto in The Lone Ranger, as an escaped convict. The storm is handled well, the tension coming from within the hotel. ![]() ![]() A simplistic plot is given the deft touch by director John Huston, menace is conveyed in a very subtle way. Subsequent events make it clear why, and Bogart ends up saving the day, and getting the girl. Trapped, in an out-of-season Florida Keys hotel by an impending tropical storm, Robinson and his gang, posing as unlikely anglers, are joined by Bogart, who at first is made to feel unwelcome. Key Largo (1948) - (Movie Clip) He Used To Dig For Pirate Gold WWII vet Frank McCloud (Humphrey Bogart) introduces himself to Key Largo lodge owner Temple (Lionel Barrymore), whose son was killed under Frank's command, the son's widow Nora (Lauren Bacall) joining them, early in John Huston's Key Largo, 1948, from the Maxwell Anderson play. The fact that the people involved here are Humphrey Bogart, Edward G Robinson, Lauren Bacall, Claire Trevor and Lionel Barrymore give this simple story a grittier edge than almost any other. The premise of Maxwell Anderson's tale has been used in a variety of different ways: a group of disparate people, brought together by a set of circumstances, more often than not, out of their control. I think it's an overlooked, under-appreciated gem, far from perfect but one that still glints and continues to catch my eye. It's all entertaining nonsense, really but with more than a dash of bravado and plenty of action toward the end. There's a battle of wits, followed by a battle of guns, bombardment by crashing palm trees and ferocious storms and then a finally a mad rush to escape (again) with the concluding final battle of everything between Robinson and Bogart. Notorious 'public enemy', nasty criminal, Johnny Rocco, presumed dead by some and his cronies is making his escape with loads of loot in the Keys when the winds whip up and so they take refuge in the resort. She's the widow of a WW2 buddy of Humphrey Bogart's character, who died in action and who Bogart visits out of respect. Wheelchair-bound James Temple, the Hotel owner, played by the reassuring Lionel Barrymore and his daughter, Nora, played by Lauren Bacall try to handle this assault on their personal freedom but it soon gets out of hand. And as with any film pairing the Hollywood Golden couple of Bogart & Bacall, it remains essential viewing for any self-respecting film lover.Ī run-down Florida hotel is taken over by a gang of thugs and their mobster boss, (an excellent, sociopathic Edward G Robinson, who reprises his mega sinister 'Little Caesar' role) and his pathetic alcoholic floozy, an Oscar-winning Claire Trevor. Whilst it might not have the iconic visuals, or classic lines of that other Bogart/John Huston classic 'The Maltese Falcon', Key Largo is actually easier to watch and easier to follow. Like the claustrophobic and sweaty Deep South melodramas from Tennessee Williams and such, Key Largo has lashings of ripe and heated verbal conflict, kidnapping and colourful characters, complete with an impending hurricane, just to spice things up further. It's got some of the best elements from all the great film noir's, plus an amazing cast and an added "exotic" location. I can watch Key Largo til the cows come home and have seen it at least half a dozen times.
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