On the Waterfront

Movie

1954

1h 48m

English

Crime, Drama, Romance

User Score:

8.2

Critic Score:

Watch on Spectrum On Demand

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On the Waterfront

Movie

1954

1h 48m

English

Crime, Drama, Romance

Play Trailer

Watch on Spectrum On Demand

A dim-witted yet kind-hearted boxer, Terry Malloy, who failed to succeed unintentionally lures a man to his death after being tricked by a criminal called Johnny Friendly whose men pick of every man who has the courage to speak up to their crimes. As he works on the waterfronts that Friendly owns, he is sent to a church meeting run by a good preacher about how to deal with the problem and runs into the dead man’s sister. Slowly, he falls in love with her and begins to feel guilt about his crime.

WATCHMODE

8.2

IMDB

CRITIC SCORE

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Available in 2 other countries.

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Cast

Terry Malloy

Father Barry

Johnny Friendly

Edie Doyle

Charley Malloy

Kayo Dugan

Glover

Big Mac

Truck

Tillio

'Pop' Doyle

Mott

Moose

Luke

Jimmy

Barney

Gillette (uncredited)

Dan Bergin

Sidney (uncredited)

Zachary Charles

Dues Collector (uncredited)

Fred Gwynne

Slim (uncredited)

Anne Hegira

Mrs. Collins (uncredited)

Pat Hingle

Jocko (uncredited)

Katherine MacGregor

Longshoreman's Mother (uncredited)

Barry Macollum

Johnny's Banker (uncredited)

Tiger Joe Marsh

Longshoreman (uncredited)

Directed By: Elia Kazan

Written By: Budd Schulberg (Screenplay)

Featured Comments/Tips

gahudnall-deleted-1490229630 says...

11 years ago

A classic - a Brando classic.

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AlfieSGD says...

one year ago

As with many older films, it took me a while to get into "On the Waterfront." But once I did, I was completely immersed in it. Marlon Brando delivers a fantastic performance as the main character, Terry, and most of the other acting is top-notch as well. At the same time, the film is an intriguing milieu study of dockworkers' lives in postwar New York, as well as the influence of corrupt and mob-controlled unions. Sre, it's all a bit of an exaggerated portrayal, but it's effective all the same. The whole film experience is rounded out by strong cinematography as well as the fitting score by Leonard Bernstein. With modern eyes, "On the Waterfront" may be a bit of a slog, but it is still a rewarding experience all the way through.

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JoeyvanAwesome says...

9 months ago

Good movie, just not amazing! A real fast and easy view, nonetheless. What is amazing, is Marlon Brando’s conflicted character. Great acting from a legend.

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SkinnyFilmBuff says...

6 months ago

70 years old and it *almost* holds up. I like the premise - exploring a setting and ideas that I'm not familiar with. Interesting character dynamics. I can see why Marlon Brando was a star - just oozing swagger. But the execution leans into some melodramatic/cliché moments in ways that feel dated. Some characters feel like caricatures at times (Johnny Friendly and crew). The pacing in the back half and the finale feels a bit rushed. Overall, I can see the sparks of greatness in the writing, but I don't think I'd recommend it to most modern audiences.

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Featured User Reviews

JN2012

11 months ago

This coulda’ been a contender in a lot of greatest movie polls if people just took a second to fully appreciate it.

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John Chard

4 years ago

You think you're God Almighty, but you know what you are? You're a cheap, lousy, dirty, stinkin' mug! And I'm glad what I done to you, ya hear that? I'm glad what I done!

On the Waterfront is directed by Elia Kazan and adapted to screenplay by Budd Schulberg from a series of Malcolm Johnson artic More

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