The latter reviews do not mention Sophia Loren's electrifying performance, partnered by the ever-excellent William Holden. The direction is subtle at first, but as the film gains in intensity the camera starts moving in a 3 D manner, it was shot in CinemaScope, and the action takes you into the relationship, adulterous and complex, as the ships begin to list, dive into the waves as they come at them, spewing salt water as in a Tsunami, without let up, and the love between Holden and Sophia Loren dives along with the oceanic activities, creating a kind of bedlam of emotions and expressed feelings. The world has many weapons to use against this couple, and it can strike from all sides and does. The key is perhaps the worst object and yet the best object either of them can possess. A must from Carol Reed who gave us The Third Man.

This is a very sad story but as deep as the ocean, charting the fates of the unknown limbo victims of war trying to make the best of a bleak life in the shadows just waiting for the dark final curtain to come down.Everything is excellent in this film. The three main characters Trevor Howard, William Holden and Sophia Loren make this film monumental in its almost shockingly documentary human drama of a struggle for life against hopeless odds, while the carrot making them go on is the illusion of hope after all.William and Trevor are both captains of tugs in the war saving "lame ducks", ships hit by submarines but not sinking, so they have to be tugged back to harbour, usually under hard fire from the u-boats. There are mines also, guns that don't work in battle, bad weather and what not.They are old friends, have been to Panama together, and when William comes to help the tugging from America (before Pearl Harbour) he stays at Trevor's place, but there's also Sophia Loren as a widow from previous casualty captains. She was at her very best in unglamorous roles, and this is one of them. Her acting is delicately understatement-like all the way, she knows too much about the conditions of war and the horrible cruelty of its merciless laws of destiny, but still there is in her very cool playacting a deep warmth like burning coals that never fade. There is a touch of eternal continuity in this extremely fascinating character.If you know anything about war, this film will touch you profoundly to the core. The black-and-white photography enhances its very human drama. There can never be enough said about rare films like this. There's only one thing to say: it's too good for words. At the same time, it couldn't be more hopelessly devastatingly noir.

Absolutely miserable film despite the wonderful Bill Holden, Sophia Loren and Trevor Howard starring in it.This picture never takes off. Holden, in the Canadian army, goes over to England to work on a tug only to meet old-time pal Howard. The latter is sharing an apartment with Sophia Loren, who appears to tragically jinx everyone she is involved with.We have some bombings, mass destruction but what is the basic story line here?How fortunate Howard was to be a victim of a blast here. In that way, he could get away from this nonsense.Sir Carol Reed many some many fine pictures during his long, distinguished career including 1968's Oscar winning "Oliver!" This film, "The Key," is a dud in every respect.

This is a curious film. A gritty, tough realistic movie during the action sequences at sea, but when the story shifts to land and Sophia Loren and the men her life, it's dull and lifeless.Trevor Howard and Bill Holden are men numbers three and four in refugee Sophia Loren's life. The key is the key to her apartment which the guys make duplicates of and pass on to friends. Right after that's done, the giver is killed at sea. Howard and Holden are tugboat captains assigned to tugs who go out to the open sea and pick up crippled freighters bringing needed war supplies to Great Britain during World War II and tow them in. The tugs are poorly armed and barely sea worthy and are easy marks for theGermans. It's hard tough work and director Carol Reed does a superb job showing that. This is one of the least glamorized war movies I've ever seen. The men are fatalistic to say the least, but especially around Sophia as if the Nazis weren't enough to worry about.Sophia Loren is a lovely thing of beauty and certainly a pleasure to watch, but her scenes with her two male co-stars have absolutely no spark at all.If you watch this I recommend you fast forward the romance and get to the action.