It's nice to find a well-regarded, 'classic' movie which is every bit as good as its reputation would have you believe. ON THE WATERFRONT is such a movie, a well-shot, compelling and perfectly written story about real people struggling to cope with the varying demands in their lives and their abilities to do the right thing.
The film features a tour-de-force bit of acting from Marlon Brando as the young and idealistic dockside worker who finds himself caught up in a strong-arm criminal racket led by the completely dastardly Lee J. Cobb. ON THE WATERFRONT is a working classic epic that brings to life a story of human struggle and endeavour, and it's the kind of film that stays with you afterwards.
The story is a slow burner, giving you a chance to get to know the characters before drawing them together in a spiral of increasing violence, and I found that it gets better and better as it goes on, building to a climax that's absolutely buzzing with power. Top stuff indeed and a feather in the cap of all those involved.
The film features a tour-de-force bit of acting from Marlon Brando as the young and idealistic dockside worker who finds himself caught up in a strong-arm criminal racket led by the completely dastardly Lee J. Cobb. ON THE WATERFRONT is a working classic epic that brings to life a story of human struggle and endeavour, and it's the kind of film that stays with you afterwards.
The story is a slow burner, giving you a chance to get to know the characters before drawing them together in a spiral of increasing violence, and I found that it gets better and better as it goes on, building to a climax that's absolutely buzzing with power. Top stuff indeed and a feather in the cap of all those involved.