John Huston directs an adaptation of a stage play but never really opens it up. It is essentially a home invasion thriller not too dissimilar to The Desperate Hours.Frank McCloud (Humphrey Bogart) is a drifter who arrives at a hotel in Key Largo during hurricane season to visit the family of an army buddy, George Temple killed in Italy. George's father, James Temple (Lionel Barrymore) is in a wheelchair and pleased to see Frank who he sees as a war hero. His widow Nora Temple (Lauren Bacall) manages the hotel with her father in law. The police in the area are looking for two native Indian prisoners who have escaped, while other native Indians are coming inland to escape the worse of the weather.Frank senses that a few of the characters hanging around the hotel are shady and they are hostile to Frank apart from a woman called Gaye (Claire Trevor) who is fond of a drink. It turns out that holed out in the hotel is gangster Johnny Rocco (Edward G Robinson) who was deported from America but has returned. His cronies hold them all hostage as he is working on a deal with other gangsters regarding some counterfeit money.Frank recognises for Rocco of who he is. Despite Rocco telling everyone that they will be unharmed as long as they do what he says and he will leave the hotel once his business has concluded. James and Nora antagonise him which leads Rocco to show his menacing side.It really is a question of if and when Frank would be able to stand up to Rocco and his men. He had one opportunity but spurned it leading people to think he is a coward but Frank might be biding his time for the right moment.Robinson delivers a malevolent performance, Bogart gives the impression he only cares about his own self preservation but the audience senses otherwise. It is a tense film but it gets grating to see the Temples constantly putting themselves in danger by insulting Rocco and his men when they are in no position to defend themselves.

"Key Largo" is one of three Humphrey Bogart noir mysteries that have become classic films. The other two are "The Petrified Forest" of 1936 and "The Maltese Falcon" of 1941. Besides being intriguing stories, all three films have other things in common. Most notably are the sizable casts of leading and top-drawer actors. Besides Bogart, "The Falcon" had Mary Astor, Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet and others. "The Forest" also had Leslie Howard, Bette Davis and others. "Key Largo" had Bacall, Edward G. Robinson, Lionel Barrymore and Claire Trevor. She won the best supporting actress Oscar for her portrayal of Gaye Dawn. Bogart plays a former Army major who had served in Italy during WW and was a friend of James Temple's son, who was killed in the war. He has stopped by to see the senior Temple who is played by Lionel Barrymore. Bacall is his daughter-in-law Nora, who is the widow of his deceased son. Robinson plays Johnny Rocco a once big-time crime boss from the days of prohibition. He and his gang have taken over Temple's hotel in Key Largo where they are arranging an underworld trade. Trevor's Gaye Dawn is a one-time top club singer and girlfriend of Rocco. She has become an alcoholic in the years that Rocco has been away. He had been kicked out of the U.S. There are many tense scenes in this fine film. Local police are checking for two Indians who have escaped from jail. A hurricane is developing. The local Indians have come to the hotel for shelter in the storm, only to be turned out by the gangsters. A good supporting cast play Rocco's sidekicks, and the intrigue intensifies until the very end. The film has an ending that comes as a bit of a surprise. But this is one very good, superbly acted, and interesting mystery thriller.

Dear John Huston, Key Largo was a terrific thriller which revealed the ravaged psyche of citizens and general sense of doom in post-world war 2 America. A somber ex-soldier (Bogart) visits a hotel run by his dead fellow soldier's wife (Bacall) and father. He gets entangled in their predicament as a bunch of gangsters have taken over the hotel and are waiting for a hurricane to pass so that they could take a boat to Cuba.Edward.G.Robinson steals the show as Johnny Rocco - the leader of the gang. He is helped by the fact that both Bogie and Bacall are playing extremely submissive roles. His use of face expressions and posture helps distract attention from his short and portly demeanor. Even the cinematographer and the writer seemed to be in love with the character. He gets many close ups and obviously the best lines.The film foregrounded the sweeping power of evil as it renders everyone helpless and impotent. The film might as well be an allegory for the plight of the common man during the great war. The ending establishes the self-destructive nature of evil.A fine rollicking score by Max Steiner sets the mood for a tense night in a hotel during a hurricane attack.Brian De Palma was obviously inspired by the shaving scene in Key Largo for the opening scene in The Untouchables. A group of people forced to spend time together in a confined space due to the forces of nature ..... The Hateful Eight? The fact that the film completely ignores the outdoors of Key Largo is a drawback. There are shots of a few monstrous waves. That's it.Best Regards, Pimpin.(7.5/10)

Yes. I'm fully aware that Key Largo is considered by many to be an all-time classic from Hollywood's heyday, but, the truth is, I found this decidedly stagy, gangster film (that required a full-blown hurricane to liven its story up) certainly left a whole lot to be desired.It sure seems to me that this 1948 film has not aged well over the past 70 years. At times I found its dead-serious dramatics to be almost comical in nature.There were a number of scenes when someone was being threatened with a nasty remark and a loaded gun and I found myself actually chuckling away at the unintentional humor that prevailed.I also thought that Humphrey Bogart (50 at the time) looked very tired and haggard and about 10 years beyond his actual age. As well - The role of Frank McCloud that Bogart played was, pretty much, a real nothing part where the character only seemed to come to life in the story's final showdown, and that was it.All-in-all - Key Largo turned out to be nothing more than a so-so Crime/Drama. I think that a lot of this film's inferiority rests on the shoulders of its eccentric and temperamental director, John Huston.