15. On the Waterfront

On the Waterfront
Elia Kazan, 1954

Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando) is up to his neck in shady dealings with a corrupt union boss (Lee J. Cobb). But with the help of a crusading priest (Karl Malden) and the sister of a man Terry sort-of murdered (Eva Marie Saint), he just might find the strength to do the right thing.

On the Waterfront is a very important movie. It oozes importance from every frame. You can tell because it's the sort of movie where everyone speaks in generalities, where no one is allowed to just be "a man who. . ." Instead, he is "the sort of man who. . ." Kazan has something he wants to say, and he's not going to let any story or characters get in the way of it (What he has to say is, essentially, "It's okay that I named names for the HUAC"). In that way, it's kind of like the Crash of the 50's.

To be fair, unlike Crash, it's not a terrible movie - just a bad one. Young Brando's method acting is something to behold, and the scene in the cab between him and his brother is rightly lauded. It's just that it's surrounded by such a turgid mess.

3/10