On the Waterfront

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On the Waterfront

1954

1h 48m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

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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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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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Pat B

@pbabinchs Jul 18

This is the greatest movie ever made. Perfection on screen.

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Les N

@Vegas628 Jul 12

Dated. When were films not dated? The 60s? Everything looks fake!

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Alejandro E

@Alex970 Jul 4

A classic from the now-distant 1950s. The drama of a boxer with a shady past and an uncertain future has everything it takes to captivate the viewer right up to the very last minute. One of Marlon Brando’s greatest on-screen performances.

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Zane T

@ZaneThind Jun 15

A brilliant movie that is relevant in any era and century. The film also has incredible acting that keeps you wanting for more. The film also can be sad and heartfelt. A genuine workplace masterpiece. This winning Best Picture, Director, and Actor at the Oscars in 1955 was the right choice.

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Aun M

@AunMohammad May 30

I am speechless, my eyes stucked, mind is mouf after watching this. Great story great dialogues and aboveall greatest acting all but legendary Marlon Brando is beyond all the praise he was just par excellence. Marlon Brando's performance changed the acting class and style ever.

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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

On the Waterfront: Official Clip - Let's Go to Work!

2:13

On the Waterfront: Official Clip - I Coulda Been a Contender

2:13

On the Waterfront: Official Clip - Present from Uncle Johnny

2:13

On the Waterfront: Official Clip - They Got Charley

2:10

On the Waterfront: Official Clip - Terry's Conscience

2:10

On the Waterfront: Official Clip - This Is My Church

2:12

On the Waterfront: Official Clip - Am I Gonna See You Again?

2:10

On the Waterfront: Official Clip - Terry Asks Edie Out

2:11

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On the Waterfront: Trailer 1

2:31

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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