On the Waterfront (1954)
100 %
Reviews Counted: 47 Fresh: 47 Rotten:0 Average Rating: 9/10
Consensus:
Considered one of the best American films of all time, Elia Kazan's powerfully sympathetic portrait of working-class Americans boasts a paradigm-shifting performance from Marlon Brando, as well as effectively realistic cinematography and riveting, timeless themes. Hard-hitting, compassionate, and without any significant flaws, On the Waterfront is required viewing.
Runtime: 1 hr 48 mins
Synopsis: Marlon Brando is Terry Malloy, an ex-prize fighter struggling against union corruption along the New York waterfront, in Elia Kazan's film classic. Malloy's battle takes him all the way to the witness stand, where he finds himself testifying against union leaders. The film was Kazan's... [More]
Genre: Dramas
Starring: Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Rod Steiger, Eva Marie Saint, Lee J. Cobb
Buy It On DVD
Reviews
Comment
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.
01/30/08
Top Critic
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.
12/12/06
Top Critic
Marlon Brando is outstanding as a former boxing champ torn between family and duty in the magnificent On the Waterfront
11/08/06
The film is shot on location in black-and-white, semi-docu style, which suits the realistic subject and commonplace characters, particularly Brando's Terry Malloy, the passive dock worker forced to become a crusader-fighter against the union's tyranny
07/15/06
Do the politics make it bad? Not at all. It's a fictional story, not a soapbox.
06/27/05
The difference between pre- and post-1950s cinema - before and after Brando - is as pronounced as moving from black and white to color.
03/11/05
Top Critic
Indisputably one of the great American films, its power undiminished.
12/23/04
Top Critic
So when does it hit you that you're in the presence of movie greatness?
12/17/04
Top Critic
Brando made one of his most indelible impressions in this relentlessly dramatic, ever-controversial tale of loyalty and betrayal in the world of working-class unions, first released in 1954.
11/04/04
It is thanks to Brando that this posthumous Popular Front classic is a heart-clutcher from beginning to end.
11/02/04
Top Critic
Not a flawless film, but so very fine that you'll remember what works--the terrific lead performance, the great support from Cobb and Saint, the evocative photography, the expertly chosen locations--more than what doesn't.
08/28/04
News
AFI Announces Top 100 Movies of All Time ... Again
posted by Scott Weinberg June 22, 2007
Ten years ago the AFI gave us a list of the Top 100 American Films Ever Made -- and when that was done they churned out 15...
posted by Scott Weinberg June 22, 2007
Ten years ago the AFI gave us a list of the Top 100 American Films Ever Made -- and when that was done they churned out 15...
IGN RSS Feeds