On the Waterfront

On the Waterfront (1954)

  • 100% of critics liked it
    (55 reviews)

  • 93% of users liked it
    (49,094 ratings)

This classic story of Mob informers was based on a number of true stories and filmed on location in and around the docks of New York and New Jersey. Mob-connected union boss Johnny Friendly (Lee J. Cobb) rules the waterfront with an iron fist. The police know that he's been responsible for a… More

Play Trailer

Unrated,
Directed By
Written By
Budd Schulberg
Genres
Drama, Romance, Classics
In Theaters
Jul 28, 1954 Wide
On DVD
Oct 23, 2001
Sony Pictures

Critic Reviews

  • , TIME Magazine

    On the Waterfront has a script that is a work of love and shows it.

  • Variety Staff, Variety

    Under Elia Kazan's direction, Marlon Brando puts on a spectacular show, giving a fascinating, multi-faceted performance as the uneducated dock walloper and former pug, who is basically a softie with a special affection for his rooftop covey of pigeons.

  • Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

    It's hard to deny that Marlon Brando's performance as a dock worker and ex-fighter who finally decides to rat on his gangster brother (Rod Steiger) is pretty terrific.

  • Geoff Andrew, Time Out

    It's pretty electrifying.

  • Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

    You miss this, you're buyin' a one-way ticket to Palookaville.

Read all 19 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

  • KJ P


    Marlon Brando steals the show with a pulse-pounding performance as Terry, a man who has never been trusted ever since his departure from world-class fighting. He is now living on the streets with no real home, falling for a woman and trying to earn respect from everyone else. As this… More

  • Kevin C


    A couple heavy-handed moments in the ending are my only nit-picks with this absolute masterpiece.

  • Dan S


    An undisputed classic concerning a former boxer (Marlon Brando), seeking a fresh start as he works along the shore for a crooked mob boss, but suffers a moral crisis after he becomes attached to the sister (Eve Marie Saint) of someone he knows was killed in cold blood by the mob. One… More

  • xGary X


    An ex-prizefighter and errand boy for a corrupt dockyard union unwittingly aids in the murder of a fellow worker, leading to a crisis of conscience that alienates him from his friends and co-workers. On The Waterfront is one of the great American movies. It's essentially a fable… More

  • Daniel P


    Long ago, the first time I saw this movie, I promised that I would have more to say after a second watching. That came and went, and still, II don't know what to say that hasn't been said. It's good on so many levels, in fact, that I might just not know what to say at… More

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

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