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On the Waterfront

Play trailer 2:31 Poster for On the Waterfront 1954 1h 48m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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99% Tomatometer 115 Reviews 95% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
Dockworker Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando) had been an up-and-coming boxer until powerful local mob boss Johnny Friendly (Lee J. Cobb) persuaded him to throw a fight. When a longshoreman is murdered before he can testify about Friendly's control of the Hoboken waterfront, Terry teams up with the dead man's sister Edie (Eva Marie Saint) and the streetwise priest Father Barry (Karl Malden) to testify himself, against the advice of Friendly's lawyer, Terry's older brother Charley (Rod Steiger).
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On the Waterfront

On the Waterfront

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Critics Consensus

With his electrifying performance in Elia Kazan's thought-provoking, expertly constructed melodrama, Marlon Brando redefined the possibilities of acting for film and helped permanently alter the cinematic landscape.

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Critics Reviews

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Kat Sachs Chicago Reader 07/17/2025
It’s a great film, in no small part due to Marlon Brando’s staggering performance and Leonard Bernstein’s blustering score. Go to Full Review Ed Potton The Times (UK) 04/05/2024
5/5
Malloy makes an unlikely proxy for Kazan, though. A former boxer with the eyes of a showgirl, he was the role of a lifetime for Brando, whose Method-schooled blend of machismo and vulnerability redefined acting for a generation. Go to Full Review Chris Bennion The Times (UK) 04/04/2024
The supporting cast is wonderful, but it’s Brando who lights up every part of this film. Go to Full Review Danielle Solzman Solzy at the Movies 07/04/2024
5/5
On the Waterfront is a film that would change cinema for years to come. Go to Full Review Vernon Young Arts Digest 01/17/2024
It has a persuasiveness of characterization, for the most part, rare on the American screen, not because actors are lacking to convey it but because it is so seldom elicited either by their material or their directors. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Matt 06/04/2021 Fabulous movie. It seems like Brando's right and left hand are always in different worlds from each other. When he goes to confront Johnny Friendly about (SPOILER ALERT), his right hand is vice-tight around a revolver, while the other is frozen into a tense openness. This is thematically resonant, signaling the two worlds Brando straddles. And Kazan earns that clich label, "the actor's director," by choosing the wide frame to capture it. See more Matt H @NormalAndBored Aug 23 Most over-rated B Movie ever. Practically unwatchable. Irritating nonsense throughout and overflowing with obvious holes. The movie starts with a guy getting thrown off the roof for ratting on The Mob, not the Italian Mob you understand, but the Irish Mob. I know they sound like the Mafia, act like the Mafia and look like the Mafia, but they're actually supposed to be Irish. The only actor who could pass for an Irish guy is the Irish priest Malley. Then there's the unconvincingly easy to turn on Mafia characters who just turn on the Mafia for no particular reason and a particularly noticeable absence of fearing for their lives despite their 100% kill ratio. Then there's the cringe worthy rooftop scenes. Half the movie is shot there and noone seems to care that her brother got thrown off it. In fact let's do the love scene there. Then Brando, the only decent acting, somehow doesn't notice the ship's horn during his big explanation, hands in pockets, did his very best. Laughably Stupid. See more Landon J @Minxsykitty Aug 19 Really good! Pretty gripping and efficient runtime. Really liked the message, and Brando is of course the highlight. Would recommend highly as an entry to the black and white genre. See more Dominic B @RT83360345 Aug 19 Very melodromatic, nailbiting finale and a great music score. I didn't buy the lovestory, though. See more bruce F @bruce999 Aug 15 overall, a fantastic movie. a movie of power on the docks. and corruption. a must see. See more Pat B @pbabinchs Jul 18 This is the greatest movie ever made. Perfection on screen. See more Read all reviews
On the Waterfront

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Cast & Crew

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Elia Kazan

Director

Marlon Brando

Terry Malloy

Eva Marie Saint

Edie Doyle

Karl Malden

Father Barry

Lee J. Cobb

Johnny Friendly

Rod Steiger

Charley

Movie Clips

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On the Waterfront

On the Waterfront: Official Clip - Let's Go to Work! On the Waterfront: Official Clip - Let's Go to Work! 2:13 Now Playing On the Waterfront: Official Clip - I Coulda Been a Contender On the Waterfront: Official Clip - I Coulda Been a Contender 2:13 Now Playing On the Waterfront: Official Clip - Present from Uncle Johnny On the Waterfront: Official Clip - Present from Uncle Johnny 2:13 Now Playing On the Waterfront: Official Clip - They Got Charley On the Waterfront: Official Clip - They Got Charley 2:10 Now Playing On the Waterfront: Official Clip - Terry's Conscience On the Waterfront: Official Clip - Terry's Conscience 2:10 Now Playing On the Waterfront: Official Clip - This Is My Church On the Waterfront: Official Clip - This Is My Church 2:12 Now Playing On the Waterfront: Official Clip - Am I Gonna See You Again? On the Waterfront: Official Clip - Am I Gonna See You Again? 2:10 Now Playing On the Waterfront: Official Clip - Terry Asks Edie Out On the Waterfront: Official Clip - Terry Asks Edie Out 2:11 Now Playing View more videos

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On the Waterfront

On the Waterfront: Trailer 1 On the Waterfront: Trailer 1 2:31 Now Playing View more videos
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On the Waterfront

On the Waterfront (1954) On the Waterfront (1954) On the Waterfront (1954) "On the Waterfront," starring Marlon Brando and Eva Marie Saint "On the Waterfront," stars Marlon Brando (center) as ex-prize fighter Terry Malloy. Lee J. Cobb (left) and Rod Steiger (right) co-starred as Johnny Friendly and Charlie Malloy respectively. View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Dockworker Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando) had been an up-and-coming boxer until powerful local mob boss Johnny Friendly (Lee J. Cobb) persuaded him to throw a fight. When a longshoreman is murdered before he can testify about Friendly's control of the Hoboken waterfront, Terry teams up with the dead man's sister Edie (Eva Marie Saint) and the streetwise priest Father Barry (Karl Malden) to testify himself, against the advice of Friendly's lawyer, Terry's older brother Charley (Rod Steiger).
Director
Elia Kazan
Producer
Sam Spiegel
Screenwriter
Budd Schulberg, Budd Schulberg
Distributor
Columbia Pictures
Production Co
Columbia Pictures Corporation
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 28, 1954, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 14, 2014
Runtime
1h 48m
Sound Mix
Mono
Aspect Ratio
35mm
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