AFI Top 100: #19
Often considered one of the greatest actors of the 20th century, Marlon Brando has had one of the most influential careers in film acting and I have always been interested in where he got his start. One of his earliest roles is Elia Kazan's 1954 classic On the Waterfront and even from such a young age like this, it is simple to see how incredibly talented he is and how he brings so much energy to the roles he chooses. This film is an absolutely wonderful, early crime thriller that touches on so many of the issues of the time with longshoremen and their work being determined by the union mob. I loved the blend of the hero's journey along with the struggles of the rest of the union workers and Brando does an excellent job of bringing all of these elements together with the utmost charisma. Along with Brando's performance, there is a lot to adore about the direction from Kazan and how he builds this entire world from a crime syndicate and makes its story so unbelievably compelling.
Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando) is a longshoreman working for a union mob that is in control of who works every day and who actually makes money. When a friend of his is killed for being suspected of ratting the union out to the police, Terry falls under the watchful eye of boss Johnny Friendly (Lee J. Cobb) and gets involved with the sister of his friend named Edie Doyle (Eva Marie Saint); all while trying to secretly take down the union from the inside. The script by Budd Schulberg is absolutely phenomenal and provides a fantastic, thrilling story with just enough room to breathe to not overwhelm its audience. What I loved most was how there was a perfect balance between Terry's human story with his personal life and the crimes that he was going up against. Too much of one genre can be suffocating but I think that Schulberg and Kazan did an excellent job of making these characters multi-dimensional. Kazan's direction is fantastic and I adored the way that he built up this world before really introducing us to any of the main characters. In order to understand this world, one has to understand the art of dock working and being a longshoreman so to focus the film on that while still throwing in a touch of crime in the exposition was brilliant. The rest of Kazan's direction was great as well and the story is paced very well; On the Waterfront felt more like a crime film than a seafaring one and even though the theme of the dock remained prevalent, the crime aspects took hold in the strongest ways possible. The conclusion of this film was also so satisfactory and seeing such a studio ending on a story like this was actually a bit refreshing. The good guys win, the bad guy is left penniless, and while the protagonist did not "get the girl" like they would typically, I was left with such a feeling of empowerment over the brotherhood all of the longshoremen shared. There's nothing better than it: just guys being dudes.
Brando's performance is the light that shines throughout this film and it would not have been nearly as engaging without him. He really is one of the greatest actors of his generation and he eats up this role like it's nothing. If his performance had not been so attention-grabbing and energetic, this really would have been quite a forgettable thriller and one that definitely would not have gotten Academy Award attention. Instead, Brando gives us one of his best earliest performances and truly knocks this film out of the park. The chemistry that he shares with this whole cast, including Terry's conflicted relationship with Friendly and his confusing love for Edie, was portrayed excellently and I loved the way that his character developed. I'm also not sure whose idea it was to give Brando an eyebrow slit for the sake of his character's aesthetic but boy did it work well. The editing from Gene Milford and the music by Leonard Bernstein worked together to make On the Waterfront technically phenomenal and the tension choices made by these artists worked so well. Milford's editing had a tendency to cut at just the right moment and the shifts in perspective that he chose were fantastic. A small detail I noticed was that he cuts a lot on head turns and that not only adds just the right amount of flair but also twists perspective to enhance the drama. Bernstein's score was also booming and bright throughout and I loved the buildups to certain scenes and how it would cut to silence in order to leave room for the actors to play out the scene. The cinematography from Boris Kaufamn was beautiful too, giving the audience so much dark contrast within the walls of his blacks and whites but all of these technical choices worked together to tell a visual story that is unparalleled.
On the Waterfront is one of the best, early crime thrillers I have ever seen and one that features an undeniably human performance from Brando. He is truly the heart and soul of this film and it is hard to imagine any other actor trying to live up to this fantastic performance. While I initially thought this was going to be a war film based on criticism I had heard of it, I was very surprised to find that it was quite the opposite and I was genuinely moved by its storytelling. Containing a fantastic romantic plot and a hero's journey that hit all of the right beats, I would absolutely recommend this classic movie. Marlon Brando says ACAB and so should you!
My Rating: ★★★★½
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