On The Waterfront

January 1954

(27)

Synopsis

Marlon Brando gives one of the screen's most electrifying performances as Best Actor in this 1954 Academy Award® winner for Best Film. Ex-fighter Terry Malloy (Brando) could have been a contender but now toils for boss Johnny Friendly (Lee J. Cobb) on the gang-ridden waterfront. Terry is guilt-stricken, however, when he lures a rebellious worker to his death. But it takes the love of Edie Doyle (Eva Marie Saint), the dead man's sister, to show Terry how low he has fallen. When his crooked brother Charley the Gent (Rod Steiger) is brutally murdered for refusing to kill him, Terry battles to crush Friendly's underworld empire. Directed by Elia Kazan (A Streetcar Named Desire) and written by Budd Schulberg (What Makes Sammy Run?), this unforgettable drama about Terry's redemption is among the most acclaimed of all films. © 1954, renewed 1982 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Reviews

4.5

27 total

5 15

4 10

3 2

2 0

1 0

On the Waterfront has a script that is a work of love and shows it.

Variety Staff

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...

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.

Geoff Andrew

It's pretty electrifying.

Colin Covert

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

Kenneth Turan

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

Cast and credits

Actors	Rod Steiger, Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb, James Westerfield, Pat Henning, Eva Marie Saint, Leif Erickson, Marlon Brando
Producers	Sam Spiegel
Director	Elia Kazan
Writers	Budd Schulberg

Additional information

Rotten tomatoes® score

100%

Audio language

English (Stereo)

Subtitles

English

Run time

107 minutes

Similar

Les Miserables (1998)

Crime

Based on the classic novel by Victor Hugo, this film follows petty criminal Jean Valjean as he tries to forget his past but is unable to because police inspector Javert won't let him. LES MISERABLES stars Liam Neeson, Geoffrey, Uma Thurman and Claire Danes. © 1998 Mandalay Entertainment. All Rights Reserved.

Blue-Eyed Butcher

Crime

BLUE-EYED BUTCHER is the shocking true story of a wife and mother driven to kill by her abusive husband, starring Sara Paxton (The Innkeepers), Justin Bruening (TV's "Ringer") and Lisa Edelstein (TV's "The Good Wife"). Susan (Paxton) met handsome salesman Jeff (Bruening) on vacation and their storybook romance quickly led to marriage and a family. But Jeff's drug use, immaturity and explosive temper led to violent episodes with Susan and their kids. Pushed to the very edge, she tied up her husband and stabbed him in their bed. Was she a battered prisoner of her suburban home or as the tough-as-nails prosecutor (Edelstein) argued, a calculating, cold-blooded murderer? 2012 Sony Pictures Television Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Gloria (1980)

Crime

She's an ex-gun moll and showgirl suddenly forced to protect a kid whose parents have been rubbed out by the mob. Now the mob wants the kid dead too - but first they'll have to deal with Gloria (Gena Rowlands in an Oscar®-nominated performance, Best Actress, 1980.) Director John Cassavetes, known for his unique approach to filmmaking, creates a powerful, tension-filled story. An accountant (Buck Henry) is in possession of a ledger which could put a number of mob bosses behind bars for a long time. Before he is killed, however, he manages to entrust the ledger and his son to a neighbor, Gloria, for protection. Gloria reluctantly takes the kid on the run while keeping the mob at bay, sometimes at the point of a gun. Finally, tired of running, she decides to confront them head on! © 1980 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

To Kill a Mockingbird

Crime

Gregory Peck won an Oscar for his brilliant performance as the Southern lawyer who defends a black man accused of rape in this film version of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. The way in which it captures a time, a place, and above all, a mood, makes this film a masterpiece. The setting is a dusty Southern town during the Depression. A white woman accuses a black man of rape. Though he is obviously innocent, the outcome of his trial is such a foregone conclusion that no lawyer will step forward to defend him except Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck), the town's most distinguished citizen. His compassionate defense costs him many friendships but earns him the respect and admiration of his two motherless children.

John Q

Crime

Denzel Washington stars as John Q. Archibald, an ordinary man who works at a factory and takes care of his family. But when John Q.'s young son needs an emergency heart transplant -- an operation that he can't afford and his health insurance won't cover -- John Q. will do anything to keep his son alive. As time and options run out, a desperate gamble becomes the only hope for John Q, as he takes an unwitting group of people hostage in the hospital emergency room. Now as many in the ER need medical care themselves and John Q. faces off with veteran police hostage negotiator and quick-tempered police chief, can a nonviolent end be found to a desperate situation?

Another Zero in the System

Crime

A vigilante ex-con is determined to clean up his crime-infested community. As he avenges the death of his sister, he begins a series of actions that may lead to his own destruction. 2013 Phase 4 Films (USA), LLC. All Rights Reserved. Phase 4 Films, the Phase 4 Films logo and all related titles, logos and indicia are trademarks of Phase 4 Films Inc. All Rights Reserved. Distributed exclusively in the United States by Phase 4 Films (USA), LLC. / 460 Greenway Industrial Drive, Suite A, Fort Mill, SC 29708 / 1.866.495.3650 / www.phase4films.com

Charley Varrick

Crime

Charley Varrick is a small-time crook who outfoxes the Mob in this fast-paced offbeat thriller directed by Don Siegel. Academy Award® winner Walter Matthau stars in a rare dramatic role, along with the powerful Joe Don Baker, as a tough Mafia hitman. Charley robs small banks with small payrolls. That keeps him out of trouble until he stumbles onto the Mob's secret stash. The chase is on as the Big Boys go after the "Last of the Independents." It's a heart-pounding ride that builds to a fiery airborne climax as Charley makes his last desperate run for the Mexican border and safety. 1973 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Angels & Demons

Crime

In Ron Howard's thrilling follow-up to The Da Vinci Code, expert symbologist Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) follows ancient clues on a heart-racing hunt through Rome to find the four Cardinals kidnapped by the deadly secret society, the Illuminati. With the Cardinals' lives on the line, and the Camerlengo (Ewan McGregor) desperate for help, Langdon embarks on a nonstop, action-packed race through sealed crypts, dangerous catacombs, and the most secretive vault on Earth! 2009 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

S.W.A.T. (feature)

Crime

An arrested drug kingpin is transported by a Los Angeles Police Department SWAT team led by Jackson's character out of the city and into federal custody. Plans go awry when the kingpin offers $100 million to anyone who can free him. (Original Title - S.W.A.T. (2003)) © 2003 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Jesse Stone: Innocents Lost

Crime

Brick Mansions

Action & Adventure

In dystopian Detroit, an undercover cop is determined to bring his father's killer to justice. He reluctantly accepts the help of a fearless ex-convict, and together they must stop a sinister plot to devastate the entire city.

3 Days to Kill

Action & Adventure

In this heart pounding action-thriller, Kevin Costner is a dangerous international spy determined to give up his high stakes life to build a closer relationship with his estranged wife and daughter. But first, he must complete one last mission.

Catch Me If You Can

Comedy

Frank didn't go to flight school...Frank didn't go to medical school...Frank didn't go to law school...because Frank's still in high school!

Inspired by the true story of a brilliant young master of deception and the FBI agent hot on his trail. Directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks. Frank W. Abagnale, Jr. successfully passes himself off as a pilot, a lawyer and a doctor -- all before his 21st birthday!

Chicago

Comedy

Winner of 6 academy Awards- Chicago is a dazzling spectacle cheered by audiences and critics alike! At a time when crimes of passion result in celebrity headlines, nightclub sensation Velma Kelly (Zeta-Jones) and spotlight seeking Roxie Hart (Zellweger) both find themselves sharing space on Chicago's famed Murderess Row! They also share Billy Flynn (Gere), the town's slickest lawyer with a talent for turning notorious defendants into local legends. But in Chicago, there's only room for one legend!

Snitch

Action & Adventure

In the action thriller SNITCH, Dwayne Johnson stars as a father whose teenage son is wrongly accused of a drug distribution crime and is looking at a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 10 years. Desperate and determined to rescue his son at all costs, he makes a deal with the U.S. Attorney (Susan Sarandon) to work as an undercover informant and infiltrate a drug cartel on a dangerous mission -- risking everything, including his family and his own life.

Domestic Disturbance

Crime

In this "edge of your seat thriller," John Travolta stars as Frank Morrison, a man who discovers that his son's new stepfather (Vince Vaughn) is not who he pretends to be. Frank's investigation into this man's past explodes into a terrifying mission to rescue his son from the ultimate danger. This chilling, critically acclaimed hit will have your heart pounding from start to finish!