On the Waterfront (1954)
Tomatometer
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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
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On the Waterfront has a script that is a work of love and shows it. Full Review |
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5/5 |
No review available.
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5/5 |
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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. Full Review |
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Elia Kazan's seminal American classic. Full Review |
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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. Full Review |
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4/4 |
Marlon Brando is outstanding as a former boxing champ torn between family and duty in the magnificent On the Waterfront Full Review |
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5/5 |
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 Full Review |
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It's pretty electrifying. Full Review |
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Do the politics make it bad? Not at all. It's a fictional story, not a soapbox. Full Review |
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4/4 |
The difference between pre- and post-1950s cinema - before and after Brando - is as pronounced as moving from black and white to color. Full Review |
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4/4 |
You miss this, you're buyin' a one-way ticket to Palookaville. Full Review |
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4/5 |
No review available.
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5/5 |
No review available.
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5/5 |
Indisputably one of the great American films, its power undiminished. Full Review |
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4/4 |
So when does it hit you that you're in the presence of movie greatness? Full Review |
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3/4 |
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. Full Review |
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It is thanks to Brando that this posthumous Popular Front classic is a heart-clutcher from beginning to end. Full Review |
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4/5 |
No review available.
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5/5 |
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.
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CommentLatest 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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