On the Waterfront Reviews and Ratings


  • BluesLover
    December 18, 2008
    BluesLover
    Wonderful movie, brando did a great job just like on the Godfather
  • fluffystenseiga
    December 14, 2008
    fluffystenseiga
    "I coulda been a contendah! Instead of a bum, which is what I am."
  • Davidc
    December 9, 2008
    Davidc
    Marlon Brando does one of his greatest work in this picture and the chemistry betweeen him and eva saint marie is amzing, Kazans directing is brought the movie to life and Lee J Cobb plays a great villan. the story is amazign and only someone liek Brando could protray a character...( read more) like this
  • luiser2gh
    December 4, 2008
    luiser2gh
    Another larger than life performance from Marlon Brando...
  • Ivan6655321
    December 2, 2008
    Ivan6655321
    Marlon Brando is one of the best actors of all time, and here in Elia Kazan's masterpiece "On the Waterfront", he showed us why he is hailed as one. Forget Godfather, put aside streetcar, move away last tango, this is Brando's ULTIMATE performance. I heard a lot about the "I coul...( read more)da been a contenda" speech, and I thought at first that the line was vastly overrated and I thought that any actor could have done it, but when I saw Brando delivered the immortal lines, it is the end of my skepticism. The mixed emotions in that particular scene adds power to the lines, it is hard to imagine any actor delivering the speech, even great actors like Robert DeNiro or Al Pacino does not come to my imagination delivering those dialogues. The scenes were crafted perfectly, raw and simply powerful, and in the end, one cannot help but praise Elia Kazan's staggering masterwork. This is an important film to watch, and it just not concern film history, but it is also significant on a moral level.
  • MovieGeek212
    November 25, 2008
    MovieGeek212
    A really orginal and creative piece of work...Marlon plays a contender for the mob that controls the docks of a sea town, then when Marlon's character is involed with the death of a local good guy.. he starts falling for the guy's younger sister meanwhile Marlon is stuck between ...( read more)the life of crime or with the other side..."Ive coulda been a contender"
  • bandeapartduo
    November 23, 2008
    bandeapartduo
    tek kelimeyle harika.
  • nickg329
    November 19, 2008
    nickg329
    Really inspiring film and great performances from Brando and Eva Marie Saint.
  • spencerstilwell
    October 23, 2008
    spencerstilwell
    Classic? Sure. My style? Nah.
  • munro82
    October 10, 2008
    munro82
    Hollywood's traditional glossy veneer is stripped away, by director Elia Kazan, to reveal a bleak and gritty drama, surging with an intensity that brings the harsh reality of life "On the Waterfront" into sharp focus.

    The camera sits perched on the rooftops, surveying all before...( read more) it, the stark black and white photography casting a critical eye over the unrefined landscapes and crude décor of the New Jersey docks.

    The striking austerity of each frame is contravened by the rich tones of everyday life; the mechanical drone, emanating from the docks, infringes upon many scenes, contributing to a tangible atmosphere indicative of the seedy and impoverished lifestyle.

    Underworld infiltration has torn through the fabric of the community's fragile existence, condemning them to a moral wilderness where Johnny Friendly flourishes, feeding off their fear and desperation.

    Lee J. Cobb consumes the screen with a suitably boisterous performance as the mob boss, chewing on every line of dialogue and spitting out venomous barbs, as he rules over the docks through intimidation and ruthless violence.

    Marlon Brando is on Oscar winning form as Cobb's blunt weapon, Terry Malloy. He delivers a nuanced performance that conveys a misguided and conflicted soul, imprisoned in a cage constructed from his own insecurity and loyalty to his brother, Rod Steiger.

    However, the luminous Eva Marie Saint is the fragile figure of his salvation, carrying forth a voice of love and kindness that opens his eyes to the sea of corruption washing over his livelihood. Her purity and faith stir his conscience, inspiring the virtuoso Brando to stand with his brethren against the malignant decadence that has infected his neighbourhood.

    Karl Malden is equally brilliant as the local priest, who preaches morality and justice, but also incites the passion with which it must be earned. He infuses power into Saint's ideals and is the catalyst for this riveting story that builds to a memorable finale.
  • kingmannie
    October 9, 2008
    kingmannie
    Magnetic film with one of the best actors of all time in his prime.
  • LammJamORama
    October 8, 2008
    LammJamORama
    I knew Brando was an amazing actor, and this adds to my knowledge. I wasn't particularly interested in this and didn't know it was really about the mob (I thought it was about fighting, since all you hear about it is Brando's "contender" speech). I almost fell asleep twice since ...( read more)a lot of the scenes were talking, and I thought there was going to be more action. You can't alway get what you expect, though. Not bad overall.
  • wieland007
    September 17, 2008
    wieland007
    Great film with a great Marlon Brando and also a very good performance by actress Eva Marie Saint. In this film, the pressure not to "rat" on your "friends" is beautifully shown and it also captures perfectly the strength of the mob, which is poverty.
  • villainforhire
    September 16, 2008
    villainforhire
    finally saw this after all these years. it is indeed wonderful. brando has never been better and steiger is damn near perfect. leonard bernstein's score is masterful.
  • 76Majikat
    September 10, 2008
    76Majikat
    I think my expectations were set a little high for this, from the recommendations and comments I?d received from others. For that reason, I was a little disappointed, with this old classic.

    Still an enjoyable film, but don?t think it quite reaches the pedestal it?s been put on.
  • itbegins2005
    September 1, 2008
    itbegins2005
    There are two kinds of really, really good movies: the kind that are made so by the director, and the kind that are made so by the performances. This is unequivocally the latter. Not that its direction is without merit- of course the movie wouldn't work if there were an incompete...( read more)nt behind the lens- but unlike, say, Alfred Hitchcock, the thing that Elia Kazan is known for is being an actor's director, a guy who can coax the best work possible out of even the most brilliant- or difficult- actors (both categories which unquestionably include the film's star, Marlon Brando). And here, Kazan is front-loaded with talent, all of them newly-minted Method actors who could bring genuine emotion and drama to the events on-screen- a radical departure from the stilted melodramatics employed in cinema (for the most part) beforehand. Add to this a fantastic screenplay by Bud Schulberg and a jazzy, sinister score by Leonard Bernstein, and you get one of the genuine classics of American cinema, a film that stands up to repeated viewings and still packs a punch every time you see it. Based on a series of articles about crime on the New York waterfront in the late 1940's, the film concerns Terry Malloy, a dock worker and former prize-fighter whose relationship to brother Charlie "the Gent" Malloy, an officer in the corrupt dock worker's union run by a thug named Johnny Friendly, ensures him steady, easy work at the shipyard. When Terry unknowingly sets up another young man to be killed before he can testify to the Waterfront Commission, however, his conscience begins to nag at him, especially once he begins seeing- and falling for- the dead man's sister, Edie. Her dedication to finding the men who killed her brother, coupled with the efforts of a Catholic minister who vainly tries to rouse the dockworkers from their ingrained policy of being D&D (deaf and dumb) to the wrongdoings on the docks, forces Terry to take a hard look at his life and his friends, and finally he decides to do the right thing- even if it means losing the respect of everyone he knows. Headlining the film, of course, is Marlon Brando, hot off his success from Kazan's film adaptation of A Streetcar Named Desire, as conflicted protagonist Terry Malloy, a decent guy who just happens to be friends with the wrong people. Malloy is ultimately trying to do what he feels is the right thing, but in the world he lives in, it's more honorable not to rat out your "friends" than it is to turn a criminal over to the justice system, and it's only when he sees the depth of the corruption on the Waterfront (to the point where his own brother threatens to shoot him) that he starts to get his priorities in order. Brando's naturalistic performance creates a lot of weird little moments of mundane realism (his fidgeting with Edie's glove being one of the most renowned examples) which really serve to ground the film and the character; Malloy is a believable average joe whose actions and mannerisms don't always have concise objectives, and who kind of muddles his words a little bit when he's talking (save during his big speech at the start of act three- you know the one I'm talking about). Playing opposite him is Eva Marie Saint, in her first film role, as Edie Doyle, the sister of the murdered dockworker and the loudest voice of conscience for Terry. Edie, having lived a sheltered life in a private Catholic school, is an innocent, naive girl who is shocked to see just how poor the conditions are at the docks, and is confounded by the workers' refusal to step forward and tell the truth about them. Her decent, straightforward nature intrigues Terry (who believes that everyone has an angle), but her continued attempts to find those responsible for her brother's death are torturous for him. Saint, also being a Method actor, brings a lot of pathos to the young woman, whose desperation and grief are far more believable than you might expect. As for the villain of the story, union leader Johnny Friendly, he's played by none other that Lee J. Cobb, the biggest A-hole-character actor in black and white pictures (just look at 12 Angry Men). Friendly is sort of an uncle figure to Terry, having known him since he was a kid and treated him well enough... but he's also exploitative, demeaning, and violent, traits that Terry can see but chooses to ignore on the basis of their "friendship". Ordering the death of Terry when the merest possibility of him snitching comes to light, the ironically-named Friendly is shown to be cold, ruthless, and motivated solely by greed (of course, his most prominent bit of dialogue is the word, "Gimme!")- basically, a standard cinema bad guy (albeit a great one), no gray areas here. The gray areas come in with Terry's brother Charlie, played by Rod Steiger. Charlie, in some ways, is just as greedy and manipulative as Friendly, but at the same time, he actually cares about his brother, and sees himself as taking care of his brother. Steiger plays the character as street wise (for the time) and somewhat condescending to Terry, and his conflicted loyalties between his brother and his outfit come to a head in a certain famous scene in the back of a taxicab (a scene which he doesn't get much credit for being in, incidentally). The script is very keen, making some good use of symbolism (the dead man's jacket, in particular) and building up sharp characterizations for the actors to work with (this is, after all, very much a character piece). The lighting is very dramatic with its use of contrasts- heavy shadow and bright lights, very film noir; Kazan lays out some really great shot compositions, such as the static camera shot at the mouth of the alley as Terry and Edie are chased down by a truck, or the lolling P.O.V. shot at the end as Terry walks to the dock entrance (and really, who was doing P.O.V. back in the fifties?). The score by Leonard Bernstein is brassy and jazzy, kinda like something from a nightclub, setting an interesting dark, urban tone for the film. As a whole, On the Waterfront is a great morality tale, featuring deftly rendered characters brought to life by some of the best of Hollywood's performers from the time. Brando gets all the credit, sure, but if he hadn't been surrounded by a fantastic set of actors- Saint, Cobb, Steiger, and Karl Malden, just to name a few of the many- and directed by such a skillful filmmaker, the movie couldn't possibly have been the classic that it ended up becoming. One of the best, without a doubt.
  • lucasaq
    September 1, 2008
    lucasaq
    In short strong film with almost all around great acting, but it is held back by a lackluster romance which is overshadowed by brilliant story of brotherly love. Rod Steiger and Marlon Brando are the glue of the film.
  • caesarthegame
    August 29, 2008
    caesarthegame
    Look into the daily life of dock workers on the waterfront and the corruption that surrounds them. One man struggles between his conscience and his well being to decide whether to take a stand or fall in with the rest. Sublime performance for Brando and Cobb. The look of shame, d...( read more)oubt, lust, pride and sorrow all flash across the face of Terry Malloy throughtout the movie.
  • Ghw12158
    August 29, 2008
    Ghw12158
    one of Brando's best
  • BurtHarbinson
    August 26, 2008
    BurtHarbinson
    Classic Brando action. I doubted this movie at first... for what reason, I cant even remember. Goes to show how stupid people can be. Well anyway... this was an intensely suspenseful thriller. An awesome culminating scene at the end. "I'm just gonna go down there, and get my righ...( read more)ts". A great story about fighting for worker and human rights.
  • lebowski1190
    August 22, 2008
    lebowski1190
    One of the best movies from the 50's. Brando puts on one of the greatest performances ever and is backed by a great supporting cast. A must see for all.
  • druecifer23
    August 20, 2008
    druecifer23
    one of the greatest movies of all time
  • tayloredawn
    July 26, 2008
    tayloredawn
    Marlon Brando! This is definitely one of his best films. Elia Kazan is stunning. One of the few movies I watched that I was completely blown away with.
  • pbreiter1
    July 7, 2008
    pbreiter1
    A wow every single time.
  • hollywoodhedge
    July 3, 2008
    hollywoodhedge
    There isn't an actor in this is who isn't spot on. The "contendah" scene is as great as everybody says it is, but for my money, you can't beat the last shot of the door coming down at the warehouse.
  • JasonDennis91786
    July 3, 2008
    JasonDennis91786
    the love story is a little hoaky, but besides that the movie is basically flawless.
  • flusbiss
    July 1, 2008
    flusbiss
    The Waterfront Crime Commission is about to hold public hearings on union crime and underworld infiltration. As workers are turned against each other, Terry Malloy inadvertently participates in the murder of fellow longshoreman Joey Doyle. Union boss Johnny Friendly orchestrates ...( read more)the murder along with other illegal dockside activities, aided by Terry's brother Charley. Terry begins to feel pangs of conscience. When Joey's sister Edie sees more in Terry than he sees in himself and Father Barry urges him on, Terry reassesses his past and begins to regain responsibility for his actions.

    On The Waterfront has the perfect mixture of love, suspense, and crime.
    The acting not just by Brando but the whole cast is great and the ending the final redemption of Terry Malloy iis terrific..
  • matthewjbiggin
    June 23, 2008
    matthewjbiggin
    The most complete performance by an actor in the history of cinema.
  • chrisasiama
    June 19, 2008
    chrisasiama
    A terrific movie about one man's redemption.
  • AgentLexi2132
    June 12, 2008
    AgentLexi2132
    ''You don't understand. I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am, let's face it. It was you, Charley.''


    An ex-prize fighter turned longshoreman struggles to stand up to his corrupt union bosses.

    Marl...( read more)on Brando: Terry Malloy

    Karl Malden: Father Barry

    Lee J. Cobb: Johnny Friendly

    Rod Steiger: Charley 'the Gent' Malloy

    On The Waterfront tells the captivating story of Terry Malloy previously an Ex-Fighter and now currently doing errands for Johnny Friendly. The Gangster-esque turbulent trouble that follows, we the viewers are treated to, begin when Terry leads an interfering yet charitable and good worker to his demise on a roof by some of Johnny's men.

    Waterfront then proceeds to introduce characters and an unlikely romance blossoming out of the impending strife. When Terry meets Edie Doyle you can feel the chemistry there between them but also the revelations that lie, lurking under the surface about her brother who happens to be the worker who died.
    The complications are apparent and Waterfront does not hide this in any way.
    Terry's guilt is plain to see although really it isn't all his fault. What's fascinating to behold is the evolution of his character, the change or turn if you will, which manifests as his redemption. What we find is that Terry at heart is a good soul and that shines ever so brightly amongst the darkness that is the Waterfront.

    Marlon Brando as Terry justly won Best Actor for his performance in Waterfront in 1954. To comprehend what that means you really should witness this pivotal man at work and this film, absorb yourself and bask in it's glory.
    Eva Marie Saint as Edie Doyle gives a connection of immense magnitude with Marlon who deserves credit again for her, as mentioned before, chemistry.
    Lee J. Cobb as Johnny Friendly plays a good lead Mobster and a fitting villain. Another Vintage Actor from a fave film of mine 12 Angry Men.
    Rod Steiger as Charley the Gent manages to play the crooked brother with flying colours.
    Karl Malden as Father Barry sees whats happening to the people around him, sees the corruption and helps Terry see it too. Wonderful to behold as he is jeered by his fellows.

    Directed by Elia Kazan and written by Budd Schulberg, you instantly know you've struck gold. A drama that haunts, that electrifies and leaves you in awe.

    The harshness and hardship of the Waterfront is wonderfully realised. The taint of the Mob has infected and submerged the dock, not to mention it's denizens, as Terry begins to see this and stand up against it, this is what makes great men great. Without a doubt, Waterfront is what makes a film great, like it's hero Terry, it refuses to be beaten down and comes out triumphant.

    A timeless masterpiece.
  • jclantz
    June 6, 2008
    jclantz
    Great movie! It was really entertaining and kept me thinking.
  • jschartrand
    June 1, 2008
    jschartrand
    Really powerful with amazing performance.
  • crazydannielle16
    May 31, 2008
    crazydannielle16
    I love this! It had a great message, and the characters were so well developed. There's a killer kiss scene... one of the best ever in a film.
  • 01MovieMan
    May 27, 2008
    01MovieMan
    This is a great movie
    These things really happen
  • SerenaSometimes
    May 16, 2008
    SerenaSometimes
    Another great Elia Kazan movie! Brando is nothing short of brilliant. Absolutley fantastic.
  • Trequel
    May 14, 2008
    Trequel
    On the Waterfront is one of those movies in which the last 30 minutes are better than the movie in whole. It isn't that the rest of the movie is bad, but rather that it just wavers above average. Meanwhile, although Marlon Brando gives a great performance, it is unmemorable. On t...( read more)he bright side, Leornard Bernstein's score is brilliant, but like Brando's performance, it is unmemorable. As for the final 30 minutes, they were thrilling and well shot. This doesn't change the film's blandness, though. On the Waterfront remains mediocre.
  • MovieGeek13
    May 13, 2008
    MovieGeek13
    Marlon Brando's portrayal of "coulda-been-a-contender" Terry Malloy is his best work. Too many this film is nothing more than Elia Kazan's self-defense of testifying to the HUAC. I think the movie has less to do with that than with expressing the theme of standing up for your o...( read more)wn principles
  • therockerno3
    May 2, 2008
    therockerno3
    Brando at his best this is a must see movie for all movie fans
  • PvtCaboose91
    April 27, 2008
    PvtCaboose91
    "Hey, you wanna hear my philosophy of life? Do it to him before he does it to you."


    On the Waterfront is a classic film that tells a remarkable tale of one man's struggle with his conscience and the union bosses that he works for.

    The film is brutal, gripp

    ...( read more)ing, hard-hitting and categorically astonishing. It's just such a monumental shame that this film (along with a majority of classics) is so criminally overlooked during the time of modern cinema.

    Marlon Brando, in one of his early performances, is an ex-boxer named Terry Malloy. Terry now works at the docks for a group of corrupt union bosses. But when a worker attempts to tell the authorities of the corruption that is occurring at the docks, the bosses send a clear message and have him eliminated. The dead man's sister Edie (Saint) is determined to find her brother's killer. When Terry and Edie strike up a relationship, Terry realises that he can no longer turn a blind eye to the corruption at his work-place that caused the untimely murder. Thus Terry must question where his loyalties lie, and has to make a decision about whether to stand up and testify against his corrupt bosses.

    On the Waterfront is a gripping, groundbreaking masterpiece. It takes an uncompromising look its subject matter without holding back on the violence.

    Marlon Brando is exceptional as Terry. He looks so young and dashing, yet every line he delivers is so powerful. I could barely recognise Brando due to him being so youthful. Eva Marie Saint, in her starring debut, is so potent and beatific. The chemistry between Brando and Saint feels so natural and real. And all the rest of the supporting cast add to the genuine feel of the whole experience.

    The film's pacing is slow, and it requires heavy patience, but the performances from the cast are just so mesmerising. The scene in the back of the taxi is still one of the most moving and most powerful scenes in cinema history. The scene would not have been as good without the aid of such great character portrayals from all those in the cast.

    The cinematography is another immensely brilliant aspect here. The use of grainy black and white makes it feel even more authentic. The great story is complimented by the remarkable direction of Elia Kazan. He won an Oscar for such inspirational directing. The music is used meagrely, but it is always loaded with so much power.

    On the Waterfront is an astoundingly brilliant production and a marvellous movie. The film is so gripping and so compelling, with drama that keeps one engaged for the film's duration. Over 50 years on and the film has not lost any of its original impact. Highly recommended for those with enough patience. Winner of 8 Oscars including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Writing and Best Art Direction.
  • babyinametalsuit
    April 22, 2008
    babyinametalsuit
    You don't understand. I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am, let's face it.

Summary

On the Waterfront Summary