KEY LARGO (1948)
A Suspenseful and Well-Acted Stage Adaptation
Grade: A
Movies based on plays are often subject to the same limitations as their inspirations. Many stage productions, like Rope (made into a film by Alfred Hitchcock in 1948), are very dialogue-based and have a limited number of locations, and films faithfully adapted from plays run the (admittedly minor) risk of being obvious to the viewer. Key Largo, directed by John Huston (The Maltese Falcon), is one such movie, itself based on a 1939 play by Maxwell Anderson. Throughout the film, it can be easy to imagine how it would look on-stage, which could potentially distract viewers by reminding them of its origins. But this flaw pales in comparison to the sheer quality of the film, which boasts great acting and genuine suspense.
The film takes place largely in a hotel on Key Largo, the largest island of the Florida Keys. WWII veteran Frank McCloud (Humphrey Bogart, in his fourth collaboration with director Huston) arrives at the hotel to visit the family of his deceased war friend, George Temple. He quickly becomes friends with George’s widow, Nora (Lauren Bacall) and father, James (Lionel Barrymore), who also runs the hotel, telling them both about George’s bravery in the war. Life seems peaceful at the hotel, and the family are friendly with the local Seminole natives. But there is a feeling of unpleasantness in the air as a group of seedy-looking hotel guests with guns becomes aggressive to Frank and the family. Soon it is revealed that these guests are gangsters led by notorious mobster Johnny Rocco (Edward G. Robinson), who is briefly escaping his exile in Cuba to finalize a business deal. With the group’s true colors revealed and a hurricane closing in, Frank, Nora and James become prisoners of Rocco’s gang.
Key Largo is a battle of wills between the three protagonists and their criminal oppressors, and an extremely tense one at that. After the gangsters show their hand, there are several standoffs between them and the heroes. James Temple is the most outspoken of the captives, angrily cursing Rocco and at one point getting up from his wheelchair to challenge him. The tension here is so high that it is almost a relief when he falls down; the audience is thinking, “At least he was not shot.” The evil nature of the gangsters, the dim lighting (caused by a power outage from the storm) and the frightening power of the growing hurricane combine to create a sense of menace and dread.
The prisoners are forced to fight by other means. As the wind and rain buffet the hotel, James torments the gang by describing in detail the devastation caused by the worst hurricane that struck the area. Rocco looks absolutely petrified here, not appearing at all in control; this is an ironic reversal for this character, who can run an entire city but realizes he is at the mercy of nature.
As with most movies, the biggest conflict here is internal rather than external. In this case, it is within Frank, who goes through a compelling transformation. Despite his initial goodwill towards the family, he is revealed to be apathetic towards Rocco’s plans to return to power; even though he hates men like Rocco and does not want him around, he doesn’t feel any compulsion to fight him either, claiming to have long since given up his hopes for “a world in which there is no place for Johnny Rocco.” But later in the film, after Rocco’s lies lead to the deaths of two Seminoles, things change; a closeup of Bogart’s face displays a look of pure hatred. Now he is willing to do whatever it takes to stop Rocco and his goons.
Every actor does a fine job, but the film belongs to Robinson and Trevor. Robinson is completely convincing as Johnny Rocco, portraying him as a vicious and selfish monster who will gladly do whatever it takes to get back on top, no matter who gets killed along the way. For most of the movie’s runtime he displays anger and bitterness, and even when he experiences fear it still comes across as real.
For her performance in the film, Claire Trevor won a well-deserved Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. Her character is an alcoholic who repeatedly asks for and is denied a drink. When Rocco offers to give her one if she sings for them, she looks visibly conflicted, and when he reneges on his promise she breaks down. Not once does any of this come off as a performance; she does such a good job of eliciting empathy from the audience that it is possible to breathe a sigh of relief when Frank gives her one to spite Rocco.
Key Largo is a film that makes the most of its limited number of locations to create a crime thriller that is well worth watching. The actors are convincing, the criminals are hateful, and the danger is intense. It is, at its core, a struggle between light and dark set against the backdrop of a major natural disaster which perfectly underscores the drama. Beyond that, it is about a man finding the will to overcome his previous convictions and take a stand. While Key Largo is certainly not the only movie to have these elements, it still uses them to a very effective degree, making for an entertaining experience
Director: John Huston
Screenplay: Richard Brooks, John Huston (Based on the play by Maxwell Anderson)
Producer: Jerry Wald
Cast: Humphrey Bogart (Maj. Frank McCloud), Edward G. Robinson (Johnny Rocco), Lauren Bacall (Nora Temple), Lionel Barrymore (James Temple), Claire Trevor (Gaye Dawn), Thomas Gomez (Richard "Curly" Hoff), Harry Lewis (Edward "Toots" Bass), John Rodney (Deputy Sheriff Clyde Sawyer), Marc Lawrence (Ziggy)
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