On the Waterfront Reviews and Ratings



  • August 14, 2007
    Was Karl Malden ever fortunate enough to receive top billing in a feature film? He always seems to be playing second fiddle. Nonetheless, Malden really pulls his weight along with Eva-Marie Saint in another teaming of Kazan and Brando in this drama about couldabeens and wouldabee...( read more)ns down on the docks.
  • August 10, 2007
    Best Brando Ever! Not to mention most powerful Elia Kazan ever. This is the movie that defines Brando's movie persona forever. He went from being underrated(Streetcar Named Desire), miscast(Viva Zapata!), robotic(Julius Caesar), to being an overnight superstar. I also like The Wi...( read more)ld One as rebels go. Too bad Brando was inconsequential in the 60s and we had to wait 'till the 70s for him to resurface. The Godfather redefines Brando, this time as a fatherly or authority figure, which he goes on to follow in Superman and Apokalypse.
    Elia Kazan describes a world difficult to imagine: the world of waterfront workers controlled by the mob. It is a world where the boss commands and no one questions. And he who dissobeys is death. Kudos for Kazan for getting it in the open in the times of Senator McCarthy's witchhunt.
    It is one of those films which is technically and dramatically perfect(All main characters nominated, 2 winning.). One of those films you can watch again and again and always find something new. Watch it.
  • August 9, 2007
    Great dialouge, acting and story. Marlon Brando at one of his finest moments.
  • August 7, 2007
    Yankee dockworkers in the 50s unite against mobsters. Not a movie I can easily identify with, and I find the style of film-making in that era both boring and irritating.
  • August 4, 2007
    Brando is great, as are the rest of the cast, but I find the plot to be fairly predictable and the ending unrealistic and too light. The score was awfully manipulative as well. Another gripe I have doesn't relate to the quality of the film is that Kazan tries to justify his act...( read more)ions during the Red Scare through this film, though whether the two situations are in the same context is debatable.
  • August 3, 2007
    this was the first movie i saw that actualy live dupt o every single review i had read about it. this moive is a masterpiece.
  • August 2, 2007
    This movie is very complicated. I had to stop it in the middle of it (to my friends great annoyance) and just think about the situation.
  • July 31, 2007
    a little bit slow for me
  • July 31, 2007
    WHAT TO SAY. SEE IT. Hudson River's HOBOKEN, NJ, waterfront IN 1952 (?) approx. Ah, Karl Malden. Great story of trying to get the movie made in the Elia Kazan biography. Funded by some sort of coloful hollywood character who took a chance on the script.
  • July 29, 2007
    Recommended by; Wasawat; Dianna.
  • July 26, 2007
    One of the finest flics in Moviedom. Brando shows why he was one of the world's rare pre-eminent actors, a select crowd. Woof!
  • July 26, 2007
    absolute classic
    tremendous performance by marlon brando and the ensemble .
    great screenplay with hard to forget dialogues
    one of the best movies i have seen
  • July 25, 2007
    I can't believe I haven't seen this yet.
  • July 22, 2007
    No matter how insignificant you feel, you can be important to a lot of people
  • July 21, 2007
    The perfect movie. Perfect cast, directing, writing and score. Flawless.
  • July 18, 2007
    Vintage Brando. This movie is perfectly paced and injected with plenty of action, a little romance and an excellent storyline.
  • July 17, 2007
    Dated, but an absolute classic. One of the best movies ever made.
  • July 15, 2007
    i coulda been a contender...
  • July 15, 2007
    Marlon Brando at his best.
  • July 15, 2007
    It's not a movie about boxing.
  • July 10, 2007
    Elia Kazan used this film as his argument on why he got some people blacklisted. It is a tautly directed movie, and brilliantly acted.
  • July 5, 2007
    This is Brando's best performance and Elia Kazan's greatest film, and both of those are saying more than a lot.
  • July 1, 2007
    One of the best films ever made. Nothing like a movie with a tough priest! One of Karl Malden's finest performances, and Marlon Brando is great!
  • June 29, 2007
    They just don't seem to make too many like this one any more. And in the 50's, you got about 30 of these gems. Oh yeah, Elia Kazan was still directing back then.
  • June 29, 2007
    wow.... you just dont get em any more lol.. great film... with some get line.. really well written and performed
  • June 28, 2007
    I hate mob movies. I don't find that whole lifestyle fascinating like many people do... the idiots should know they're going to end up dead and just get away. having said that, this one wasn't as awful as others I've seen.
  • June 24, 2007
    Now, that's some fabulous acting by an amazing man. "I coulda been a contender! I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am!"
  • June 24, 2007
    An American masterpiece. Brando in his prime. Hollywood began its transformation to grittier more realistic filmmaking here.
  • June 22, 2007
    Brando completely and utterly breaks your heart. Great acting, directing, story, and dialogue. Everyone must see this movie.
  • June 22, 2007
    If you haven't see this, you should leave this website and never return because you obvious prefer dreck over a work of art. And this film is a work of art. It is also a stupendously affecting human and family drama, a political statement, and a suspense tale. Brando's performanc...( read more)e is one of the most defining performances ever captured on film. See it today.
  • June 22, 2007
    Marlon Brando e Elia Kazan, dificil sair coisa ruim.
  • June 21, 2007
    Terry: 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.

    Marlon Brando give one of the best performance of all time.
  • June 19, 2007
    Again, one of the best movies ever made. Marlon Brando was suprisingly good.
  • June 18, 2007
    like a bunch of other kazan films, its like a play and it relies on the amazing performances. luckily, this happens to be a masterwork story, so between the two, kazan stages one of the ebst films of all time.
  • June 18, 2007
    Wow I don't know yet but Brando is this movie may be better than Stewart in Mr. Smith. An excellent movie and I'm partly ashamed it took me so long to see it. Parts of it almost brought me to tears, the classic cab scene, the dead pigeon scene, and the end. An amazing movie and o...( read more)ne of the best ever.
  • June 17, 2007
    Marlon Brando is brilliant.
  • June 17, 2007
    favorite marlon brando movie
  • June 16, 2007
    Brando at his finest. Based on true events plus Carl Malden's battling priest is excellent.
  • June 15, 2007
    amazing story. terry was such a fascinating character, brought to life flawlessly by marlon brando. this movie has everything...drama, romance, and even some laughs. so much attention has been brought to the conversation between the two brothers, terry and charlie, which i agree ...( read more), is an amazing scene. however, i find the final part of the movie, with terry's confrontation with johnny friendly and his crew, to be some of brando's finest acting moments.

Summary


On the Waterfront Summary