It's pretty electrifying.
Comment
01/26/06
On the Waterfront (1954)
100
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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
Genre: Dramas
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... [More]
Starring: Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Rod Steiger, Eva Marie Saint
Director: Elia Kazan
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Reviews for On the Waterfront
Screenwriter Budd Schulberg's exposé of the corruption in the dock workers' unions won eight Oscars and remains as stirring as ever -- as does the performance of Marlon Brando.
01/01/00
One of the best acted efforts to come out of Hollywood during the 1950s.
04/25/02
Top CriticSo when does it hit you that you're in the presence of movie greatness?
12/17/04
Top CriticThere's something uncomfortably humbling about reviewing a movie that is textbook-perfect.
07/25/03
requisite viewing for any student of the art; it is among the best American films
10/29/01
Retains the freshness of an original -- exploring the difficulties and corruptions of working stiffs with a realism, sensitivity and intelligence that has seldom been matched since.
05/23/01
You miss this, you're buyin' a one-way ticket to Palookaville.
03/03/05
Top CriticAuthentic-looking, powerful film is concerned with the problems of trade unionism, corruption and racketeering.
01/01/00
It is still possible to feel the power of the film and of Brando and Kazan, who changed American movie acting forever.
01/01/00
Top CriticReligion and social action finally meet in Hollywood… a great film for many reasons, but its most enduring asset may be the young Brando.
05/31/04
It is thanks to Brando that this posthumous Popular Front classic is a heart-clutcher from beginning to end.
11/02/04
Top CriticA powerful drama with the flavor of Shakespearean tragedy.
01/01/00
Marlon Brando delivers one of his strongest performances here as Terry Maloy, the flawed hero of this riveting drama.
09/10/02
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
Marlon Brando is outstanding as a former boxing champ torn between family and duty in the magnificent On the Waterfront
11/08/06
This movie contrasts two conflicting ways of looking at the world and especially at responsibility.
04/20/02
Brando won the Oscar he did accept (he refused his award for The Godfather), and Cobb makes for a great villain.
04/11/01
It's one of those films that can inspire and touch an audience with a unviersal message, move people with an emotional and powerful dramatic storyline, and even get people to forgive anyone who is forced to rat on his friends.
01/01/00
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 CriticLatest News for On the Waterfront
June 22, 2007:
AFI Announces Top 100 Movies of All Time ... Again
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 other lists every few years. And then last night they... More...
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