The acting and the best dialogue passages have an impact that has not dimmed; it is still possible to feel the power of the film and of Brando and Kazan, who changed American movie acting forever.
As unspoiled in its key elements as the day it was made, "On the Waterfront" is indisputably one of the great American films, its power undiminished. Even more today than half a century ago, it demands to be seen.
88
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
On the Waterfront may have baggage, but that doesn't prevent it from being one of the great American productions of the mid-20th century.
80
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago ReaderJonathan 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.
80
The New York Times
The New York Times
Moviemaking of a rare and high order. (Review of Original Release)
Brando made one of his most indelible impressions in this relentlessly dramatic, ever-controversial tale of loyalty and betrayal in the world of working-class unions.