On The Waterfront (1954)

Genre: Drama / Author’s Favorites

Directed by: Elia Kazan

Starring: Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Eva Marie Saint

Running time: 108 minutes

Terry Malloy is a former boxer who had lots of potential, but he took a dive against an opponent he could have beaten after mob-connected union boss Johnny Friendly asked him to do so, so he could bet against him and cash in. Years later, Terry works on the dock and does various jobs for Friendly, who has Malloy’s brother Charley for right-hand man. When one of those jobs gets a man killed, Malloy starts to have doubts that will amplify greatly once he falls for the victim’s sister.  

Marlon Brando was in top form here. Young, thin, good-looking and motivated, the man bursts out of the screen as Terry Malloy. His character’s “I could have been a contender” speech directed at brother Charley is among the best set of lines in cinema history. Such intensity and believability; it is a great thing to witness.

Eva Marie Saint, who made her big screen debut in On The Waterfront, is very good as Edie, a young woman determined to find out what happened to her brother. The rest of the cast members, from top to bottom, held their own also; not a bad note acting-wise.

This 1954 black-and-white drama has been deemed culturally, historically or aesthetically significant by the Library of Congress, and deservedly so. This needs to be seen, more than once even. I highly recommend it.

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