Grade: B+
Synopsis: A army veteran (Humphrey Bogart) and others are held prisoner in a Florida hotel by a gangster (Edward G. Robinson) during a hurricane.
While Key Largo is notable as the final on-screen pairing of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, it’s also a great movie. Director John Huston moves things along at a brisk pace, and splashes just enough characterization in to keep thing interesting. The slow-burning tension between Bogart and Bacall is amazing to watch, and elevates the movie to something truly special.
Equally impressive is Edward G. Robinson’s performance in a role that Huston originally wanted to cast against type and give to Charles Boyer. A real shame since Boyer or even Cary Grant could have introduced the suave villain years before Alan Rickman did so smashingly in Die Hard in 1988. Still, Robinson plays the part he’d been perfecting for years and nobody does the traditional gangster better.
Bottom Line: Near perfect, and a true classic. Recommended.
