Key Largo is a 1948 American crime drama film, was directed by John Huston and stars Humphrey Bogart, Edward G. Robinson, and Lauren Bacall. The film also includes Lionel Barrymore and Claire Trevor in important supporting roles. The story is based on a 1939 play by Maxwell Anderson, and the movie was adapted by Richard Brooks and John Huston.

Army veteran Frank McCloud goes to Hotel Largo in Key Largo, Florida. He is visiting the family of George Temple, a soldier who fought under him and died in Italy a few years earlier. At the hotel, Frank meets George’s widow Nora Temple and George’s father James Temple, who owns the hotel.

Because the winter vacation season is over and a hurricane is coming, the hotel has only six guests, the well-dressed Edward “Toots” Bass, the rude Richard “Curly” Hoff, the quiet, serious Ralph Feeney, the helper Angel Garcia, the pretty but older and alcoholic Gaye Dawn, and one more man who stays hidden in his room.

These visitors say they have come to the Florida Keys to go fishing, but something feels suspicious.

Frank tells Nora and James about how bravely George fought during the war. He also shares small, personal stories that George told him. Nora and James are touched by this and say that George often wrote about Frank in his letters. They begin to feel close to Frank.

As Frank, Nora, and James get the hotel ready for the coming hurricane, they are stopped by Sheriff Ben Wade and his deputy Clyde Sawyer. The police are looking for John and Tom Osceola, two American Indian brothers who have escaped from custody.

After the police leave, the local Seminole people come to the hotel to take shelter from the storm. Among them are the Osceola brothers the police were searching for.

As the storm gets closer, Curly, Ralph, Angel, and Toots suddenly take out guns and hold Frank and the Temple family hostage. They reveal that the sixth man who stayed hidden is Johnny Rocco, a famous and dangerous gangster who was forced to live in Cuba years ago. Rocco is staying at the hotel while he waits for his business partners from Miami to arrive for an illegal deal.

The gang finds Deputy Sawyer secretly looking around the hotel, so they catch him too. A tense situation begins. Rocco tries to force Frank to fight a gun duel, but Frank refuses. He says he wants to stay alive and that “one Rocco more or less isn’t worth dying for.”

Rocco then shoots Sawyer, and his men take Sawyer’s body out on a small boat into the storm to bury it in the sea.

While the hurricane gets worse outside, Rocco forces Gaye, his former girlfriend, to sing for everyone. After she sings, he insults her and treats her badly. Frank, however, is kind to her. He quietly gives her the drink she was promised and does not react even when Rocco slaps him.

Nora realizes that Frank is actually brave, just like her husband George, who died near Monte Cassino in Italy during the war.
Mr. Temple then invites Frank to stay with them at the hotel. This idea seems to interest Nora, hinting that she feels a connection with Frank.

The storm finally becomes calm. Sheriff Wade comes back to look for Deputy Sawyer and finds Sawyer’s dead body, which the storm has pushed onto the hotel driveway. Rocco goes outside and lies to the sheriff, saying that the Osceola brothers killed Sawyer. Believing him, Sheriff Wade finds the brothers, shoots them, and leaves with Sawyer’s body.

Soon after, Rocco’s buyer, Ziggy, arrives to purchase a large amount of fake (counterfeit) money.
Rocco then forces Frank—who knows how to sail—to take him and his gang back to Cuba on the hotel’s small boat.

As the gang gets ready to leave, Gaye secretly steals Rocco’s gun and quietly gives it to Frank, hoping he can stop Rocco.

Out on the Straits of Florida, Frank uses his sailing skills, clever tricks, and the gun Gaye gave him to kill Rocco’s men one by one. After defeating all of them, he turns the boat around and starts heading back to Key Largo. He also sends a radio message asking the Coast Guard for help and telling them to inform the hotel.

Back at the hotel, Gaye tells Sheriff Wade the truth — that Rocco is the one responsible for Deputy Sawyer’s murder. Wade then says that Ziggy’s gang has already been caught. He leaves with Gaye so she can help identify the criminals.

The phone rings at the hotel. James and Nora are thrilled to hear that Frank is safe and returning. Nora opens the window shutters to let in the sunlight, while out on the sea, Frank guides the boat back toward the shore.

John Huston directed Key Largo. He created strong tension and drama, especially in the scenes between the guests and the gangster Johnny Rocco. Huston guided the actors to give powerful performances and made the hurricane setting feel intense and realistic.

Karl Freund handled the cinematography, and his camerawork makes the tension, the fear of the storm, and the pressure of the closed hotel in “Key Largo” feel completely real.

Rudi Fehr edited the film, connecting the different scenes with precision, which gives the story the right pace and makes the drama more effective.

Max Steiner composed the music, adding emotional and dramatic depth to the entire atmosphere; especially during the storm sequences, Rocco’s threats, and the quiet moments between Frank and Nora, his background score leaves a strong impact on the audience. Together, these three greatly enhanced the film’s style, mood, and overall effect.

Humphrey Bogart gives a calm, strong, and natural performance as Frank McCloud, a tired war veteran who visits a small hotel in Key Largo to honor his fallen friend. He begins as a quiet man who wants no trouble, showing his pain and inner struggle through controlled acting, gentle expressions, and mature restraint. When gangster Johnny Rocco traps everyone in the hotel during a storm, Frank stays calm and observant, trying to protect others without violence. But as danger grows, he finally acts with quiet courage, defeating Rocco and saving the others. Bogart’s warm chemistry with Lauren Bacall adds emotional depth. In short, Bogart plays a quiet, brave hero whose strength comes from character, not loud actions.

Edward G. Robinson plays Johnny Rocco, a ruthless and power-hungry gangster who takes over the hotel and terrorizes everyone with his cruelty and desire to control everything around him.

Claire Trevor plays Gaye Dawn, the abused and alcoholic mistress of Johnny Rocco. She is sad, broken, and controlled by Rocco. Her most famous scene is when Rocco cruelly forces her to sing for a drink. She sings with pain and humiliation.
Claire Trevor won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1948 for her role.

Richard Brooks and John Huston were nominated for the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Written American Drama.

Variety wrote that the film focuses strongly on tension. There are some messages about a better world, but they do not interfere with the main plot.

According to Pauline Kael, Huston filled the claustrophobic hotel setting in the Florida Keys with suspense and mystery, and the actors delivered powerful performances.

Photo courtesy Google. Excerpts taken from Google.