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On the Waterfront (re-release)
EMAILPRINTSony Pictures Repertory

Universal acclaim
Based on 10 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 7 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
Movie Info
Genre(s): Classic | Crime | Drama | Romance
Written by:
Budd Schulberg (also story)
Malcolm Johnson (suggested by articles)
Directed by: Elia Kazan
Release Date:
Theatrical: November 5, 2004
DVD: October 23, 2001
Running Time: 108 minutes, B/W
Origin: USA
Summary
RATING: Not Rated
Starring Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb, Rod Steiger, James Westerfield, and Eva Marie Saint
Marlon Brando gives one of the screen's most electrifying performances as Best Actor in this 1954 Academy Award winning Best Film as Ex-fighter Terry Malloy, who could have been a contender but now toils for boss Johnny Friendly (Cobb) on the gang-ridden waterfront. (Sony)
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database Official Studio Site Film Forum Profile
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
The acting and the best dialogue passages have an impact that has not dimmed; it is still possible to feel the power of the film and of Brando and Kazan, who changed American movie acting forever.
Read Full Review >Boston Globe Ty Burr
The chance to watch a four-star classic the way it was meant to be seen -- fresh print, big screen -- is so rare as to be worth the trip.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan
As unspoiled in its key elements as the day it was made, "On the Waterfront" is indisputably one of the great American films, its power undiminished. Even more today than half a century ago, it demands to be seen.
Read Full Review >TV Guide Staff (Not credited)
A draining experience from beginning to end, relentless in its portrayal of inhumanity.
Read Full Review >ReelViews James Berardinelli
On the Waterfront may have baggage, but that doesn't prevent it from being one of the great American productions of the mid-20th century.
Read Full Review >Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum
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.
Read Full Review >The New York Times A.H. Weiler
Moviemaking of a rare and high order. (Review of Original Release)
Read Full Review >Variety Staff (Not credited)
Under Elia Kazan's direction, Marlon Brando puts on a spectacular show, giving a fascinating, multi-faceted performance.
Read Full Review >Village Voice J. Hoberman
Like many cult films, it is also less than the sum of its parts.
Read Full Review >Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt
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.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 7.8 (out of 10) based on 7 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Mart B. gave it a9:
They don't make 'em like this anymore.
Jonathan F. gave it an8:
This is a superbly acted movie. Marlon Brando delivers the character of a tough ex-prize fighter, and he does it with beautiful grace. What I liked about this film, is that no one died at the end. Although Brando's character, Terry, walks "with the cross", in a Jesus style, he doesn't die, and become a mortar. And on the other side, the bad guy ,Johnny Friendly, isn't killed for his crimes. He's just pushed away. This movie is a message movie, against organized crime and mobs. How a person should listen to his conscience. However, I think the Christian - "Jesus is with you" monlogue was way over the line. The most remembered scene is in the car, where Terry's brother tries to convince Terry to work for the mob and not testify for the police. The acting there was truly touching. As an animal rights activist, I hope that the scenes with the dead pigeons was made with dummies and not real dead pigeons. 8/10
