On the Waterfront

Starring: Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Lee K. Cobb, Rod Steiger, Pat Henning, Eva Marie Saint
Directed by: Elia Kazan
Rating: Not Rated
Genre: Drama
1954

Times Seen:
Tim: 1


Summary: A former boxer, Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando) decides to forgo his own safety and testify against his former employers, mob bosses who are corrupting a labor union.

Review:

Tim: It is so interesting that this movie is about the morality of informing against others, created by two men who served as informers for the House Un-American Activities Committee. These men were Director Elia Kazan and screenwriter Budd Schulberg. This backstory is almost as interesting as the movie itself.

Any mention of this movie needs to start off with Marlon Brando's famous "I coulda been a contender" speech. He delivers this speech incredibly. His entire performance is powerful, moving, and the reason why we go to the cinema. Brando is as outstanding of an actor as they come. His performance here is a classic.

Eva Marie Saint gives a sparkling performance. She and Brando have great chemistry together. Impressively, she won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in this, her first feature film role. It should be mentioned that she is actually the leading actress, even though she is listed as a supporting one.

On the Waterfront is an intense drama all centered on the question of whether it is moral or not to inform on others in the face of visible and apparent atrocities. This is an excellent film. It is truly a classic and not enough movie watchers today have seen this movie. Don't be one of them.



Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Godfather, Mutiny on the Bounty, Citizen Kane, The Score