Customer Reviews
"On the WaterFRONT" of Film History - By: Elizabeth Greenfield, 06 Jan 2009 
"On the Waterfront" - Elia Kazan's third artistic collaboration with Method giant Marlon Brando - emerged from the twentieth-century as one of the era's landmark films. As with "A Streetcar Named Desire" (1951) & "Viva Zapata!" (1953), Kazan offered audiences cinematic realism on a level unseen on the American screen. "On the Waterfront",in particular, presented post-war American audiences with a gritty, uncomprising look at union corruption on the docks of Hoboken, New Jersey, loosely basing itself on real-life events & politics of the 1950s.
The film centres around Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando), an ex-boxer who runs various errands for Johnny Friendly (Lee J. Cobb), the crooked boss of the docker's union. Terry's brother, Charley the Gent (Rod Steiger), is a member of Johnny's inner circle, and,in large part because of his influence, Terry is trusted. When a longshoreman threatens Johnny's position, the boss has him murdered - with Terry's unwitting assistance. Once Terry realises that he was inadvertently involvedin the killing, he begins to reassess his life & positionin Johnny's organisation.
Meanwhile, the local priest, Father Barry (Karl Malden), attempts to organise the longshoremen to speak out against the corruption around them by appearing before the Waterfront Crime Commission. Terry is torn between loyalty to Johnny & his brother, & the unease of his conscience & his growing infatuation for the murdered man's sister, Edie (Eva Marie Saint).
From this evolves a masterstrokein filmmaking, & one of film history's most celebrated scenes. In the back of the now-famous taxi cab, Brando & Steiger perform a powerful one-on-one that will ultimately decide the future of either one of them. In trying to convince Terry to not goin front of the Crime Commission, Charley pulls out a gun & points it at his brotherin a moment of pure desperation. Instead of reacting as many other actors of his generation would, Brando simply pushes away the gun, disappointed, somewhat ashamed, embarassed, by his brother's actions. What follows is one of film's most memorable lines: "I coulda been a contender" as Terry tells Charley of his disappointmentin becoming a "bum" & how he should've "looked out" for his little brother "a little better". Charley, upset by his brother's revelations, lowers his gun & lets Terry out of the car, unwittingly sealing his own fate.
Charley's fate, as we witness later onin the film, is death; & having discovered this, Terry, bloody-yet-unbowed, struggles to his feet & completes his quest for redemption that he began when he realised he had been used to lure Edie's brother to his death. The final act is more meaningfulin the context of completing Terry's character than it isin closing the story of union corruption. Johnny Friendly is outed by Terry & his fellow longshoremen with the help of Father Barry & Edie. All is restored on the waterfont, for now.
From twenty-first century eyes, "On the Waterfront" still hits all the right notes. Although they do not carry the immediacy they once had, Kazan's interpretation of his own personal & political struggles delivered on screen by Brando, Malden & Saint reverberate as strongly as they didin the 1950s. A recommended watch!
THE BEST FILM OF ALL TIME - By: Robert Bristol, 19 Jul 2008 A true classic, Brando plays a "bum" who makes a living out of working the docks, under the watchful eyes of the dock "mafia", headed by the marvelous Lee J Cobb.
Brando is handed a dilema when the "mafia" murder a fellow dockman & the sister of the deceased, played by the enchantingly beautiful Eva Marie Saint, turns up to find the truth behind her brothers murder.
Brando must choose between his loyalty to the "mafia" & Eva Marie Saint.
The finlae remains one of the most memorablein movie history.
EXCELLENT.
The most over rated film ever - By: R. Essery, 13 Mar 2008 
This is without a doubt one of the most over rated & boring films I have ever seen (out of the 16,000 or so I have seen to date). Unfortunately, it has gained a cult status mainly from clueless critics, assorted luvvies & people who think only 'serious' films are good. Since it stars the King of the Method Actors (Marlon Brando), it was always going to be of dubious quality - indeed most of Brando's films were naff apart from possibly the first Godfather film!
This film won 7 Oscars but this is meaningless as Hollywood usually rewards serious drama (read boring) films & ignores everything else.
Truely dreadful!
Definitely a Contender !!! - By: Jay, 24 Dec 2007 Gripping, powerful drama of corrupt unions for dock workers & how one man Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando) fights back.
This movie is a definite must-see. The story is pretty simple & has been done before but the script is superb & all the actors are at the height of their powers. Brando is unbelievable as Malloy--he portrays his innocence & hurt so easily--I actually started to get a lumpin my throat when he comes to grips about the corruption. Rod Steiger is greatin a small role as his brother. The taxicab sequence between him & Brando has become a legend--rightfully. Lee J. Cobb is frightening as the leader of it all. Eva Marie Saint (in her first theatrical role) is gorgeous & just great as a woman who fallsin love with Brando. The scenes between them are incredible
Surprisingly good - By: Petrolhead, 05 May 2007 Okay, so it's black & white, half a century old & I wasn't expecting much, but On The Waterfront still packs the punches. You certainly don't have to be a film buff or a Brando fan to see why he was such a heart throb & the film won eight oscars. The plot doesn't always go where you might expect it to, the action moves along at a rollicking pace, the denouement keeps you guessing up to the last seconds & the acting is great throughout. The only thing that didn't match up to modern standards was an awful "special effect" of a man falling off a roof early on, but once you get past that it is pretty gritty & realistic, even the blood & violence. On the upside, it has one of the most famous linesin cinema history, which is worth waiting up for. This is not one of those "classic" films that is actually a big outdated yawn. It's just a classic.
