On The Waterfront
Terry Malloy dreams about being a prize fighter, while tending his pigeons and running errands at the docks for Johnny Friendly, the corrupt boss of the dockers union. Terry witnesses a murder by two of Johnny's thugs, and later meets the dead man's sister and feels responsible for his death. She introduces him to Father Barry, who tries to force him to provide information for the courts that will smash the dock racketeers.
22 March 1913, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
4 July 1924, Newark, New Jersey, USA
18 September 1923, Bronx, New York, USA
10 July 1926, New York City, New York, USA
8 December 1911, New York City, New York, USA
5 July 1908, Manhattan, New York, USA
4 November 1919, The Bronx, New York City, New York, USA
22 March 1912, Chicago, Illinois, USA
27 October 1911, Alameda, California, USA
12 May 1912, Alabama, USA
6 April 1889, Ireland [now Northern Ireland, UK]
May 13, 2016
[Boris Kaufman's] neo-realistic style is a perfect match for Waterfront's gritty story... and the film was well served by the 36 days the cast and crew spent shooting in and around the Hoboken waterfront.February 12, 2014
On the surface it's an extremely well-crafted and entertaining drama, but peel away some layers and you'll discover an apologia for informing.January 30, 2008
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.February 26, 2013
a watershed moment in cinema history; it remains one of the greatest films of the 1950sJanuary 26, 2006
It's pretty electrifying.February 18, 2009
On the Waterfront has a script that is a work of love and shows it.March 03, 2005
You miss this, you're buyin' a one-way ticket to Palookaville.December 12, 2006
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.November 28, 2015
Overrated melodrama about the alleged wonders of informing.February 15, 2013
An astounding drama that's still a contender almost 50 years on.February 22, 2015
Kazan over-emphasized the last sequence in the film, but on the whole, his fine direction shows in the strength and power of the dramatic action on the screen.March 07, 2013
A powerful watch, thanks largely to an incredible cast, Leonard Bernstein's strong score, and a handful of iconic scenes, none better than the moving "I coulda been a contender" sequence.