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Movies / Upcoming / On the Waterfront
On the Waterfront

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On the Waterfront (1954)

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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

US Box Office: $0

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... 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 response to his decision to turn in the names of his Hollywood contemporaries during Senator Joe McCarthy's anti-Communism hearings. Lee J. Cobb, Rod Steiger, and Malden were all nominated for the Best Supporting Actor Oscars. Academy Award Nominations: 12. Academy Awards: 8, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor--Marlon Brando, Best Story and Screenplay. [More]

Starring: Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Rod Steiger, Eva Marie Saint

Starring: Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Rod Steiger, Eva Marie Saint, Lee J. Cobb, Leif Erickson, John Hamilton, Nehemiah Persoff, James Westerfield, Rudy Bond, Fred Gwynne, Martin Balsam, Pat Hingle, Barry Macollum, Tiger Joe Marsh, Pat Henning, Tony Galento, Tami Mauriello, Don Blackman, Arthur Keegan, Abe Simon, Jere Delaney, Thomas Handley, Anne Hegira

Director: Elia Kazan

Director: Elia Kazan
Screenwriter: Budd Schulberg
Composer: Leonard Bernstein
Producer: Sam Spiegel

[See More Credits]

Reviews for On the Waterfront

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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On the Waterfront has a script that is a work of love and shows it.

Full Review Source: TIME Magazine | comment Comment
02/18/09
TIME Magazine

No review available.

comment Comment
05/09/08
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

No review available.

comment Comment
02/29/08
Michael W. Phillips, Jr.
Michael W. Phillips, Jr.
Goatdog's Movies

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 Source: Variety | comment Comment
01/30/08
Variety Staff
Variety Staff
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Elia Kazan's seminal American classic.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
11/01/07
Channel 4 Film

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 Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
12/12/06
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader

Marlon Brando is outstanding as a former boxing champ torn between family and duty in the magnificent On the Waterfront

Full Review Source: Oscar Guy | comment Comment
11/08/06
Wesley Lovell
Wesley Lovell
Oscar Guy

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 Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment 1 Comment
07/15/06
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

It's pretty electrifying.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
01/26/06
Geoff Andrew
Geoff Andrew
Time Out

Do the politics make it bad? Not at all. It's a fictional story, not a soapbox.

Full Review Source: LYTRules.com | comment Comment
06/27/05
Luke Y. Thompson
Luke Y. Thompson
LYTRules.com

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 Source: Arizona Daily Star | comment Comment
03/11/05
Phil Villarreal
Phil Villarreal
Arizona Daily Star

You miss this, you're buyin' a one-way ticket to Palookaville.

Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
03/03/05
Colin Covert
Colin Covert
Minneapolis Star Tribune

No review available.

comment Comment
02/07/05
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

No review available.

comment Comment
01/31/05
Greg Maki
Greg Maki
Star-Democrat (Easton, MD)

Indisputably one of the great American films, its power undiminished.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
12/23/04
Kenneth Turan
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

So when does it hit you that you're in the presence of movie greatness?

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
12/17/04
Ty Burr
Ty Burr
Boston Globe

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 Source: Christian Science Monitor | comment Comment
11/04/04
David Sterritt
David Sterritt
Christian Science Monitor

It is thanks to Brando that this posthumous Popular Front classic is a heart-clutcher from beginning to end.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
11/02/04
J. Hoberman
J. Hoberman
Village Voice

No review available.

comment Comment
10/28/04
Mark Palermo
Mark Palermo
Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

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.

comment Comment
08/28/04
Nick Davis
Nick Davis
Nick's Flick Picks
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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June 22, 2007: AFI Announces Top 100 Movies of All Time ... Again
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