--- title: "On the Waterfront: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/on-the-waterfront/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/on-the-waterfront" critics_score: 88 critics_reviews: 14 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # On the Waterfront (1954): what the critics said Critics' score 88 from 14 reviews: 14 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative. Every one of the fourteen reviews is positive, and the praise goes first to Marlon Brando. Critics keep returning to his Terry Malloy, and in particular to the taxi scene with Rod Steiger, which several treat as a turning point in American screen acting. Elia Kazan’s direction and Budd Schulberg’s script draw nearly as much credit, along with the Hoboken locations, which the earliest notices single out for their grime. Eva Marie Saint, Karl Malden and Lee J. Cobb are named in support, and Leonard Bernstein’s score is noted. The reservations are about meaning rather than craft. Time Out and The Guardian both find the Christian symbolism sits awkwardly against the realism, and several reviews read the film as a plea on behalf of informers, given Kazan and Schulberg’s own histories; some find that fascinating, others a flaw. Den of Geek, unusually, argues the mobsters’ case against the story’s betrayal theme. The spread is narrow. ## Radio Times — Tony Sloman Rating 5/5. The critic calls Brando unforgettable as Terry Malloy and notes his Oscar win, describing the film as a well-crafted entertaining drama that also serves as an apologia for informing, made fascinating by Kazan's own history of naming names. It highlights Leonard Bernstein's score, memorable dialogue, and great performances from Eva Marie Saint and Rod Steiger, stating the film deserved its eight Oscars. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-gwddnb/on-the-waterfront/) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Rating 4/4. 21 March 1999. Ebert praises the film as a powerful justification for Kazan's personal decisions and a landmark in American acting. He singles out Marlon Brando's performance, particularly the taxi scene with Rod Steiger, for its emotional depth and influence. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-on-the-waterfront-1954) ## Time Out — GA Rating 5/5. 25 February 2015. The critic praises the superb performances, especially Brando's as Terry Malloy, the colourful script by Budd Schulberg, and sure control of atmosphere, calling the account of struggles against union corruption powerful and electrifying. It notes that the film is undermined by religious symbolism turning the protagonist into a Christ figure and special pleading on behalf of informers, linked to Kazan and Schulberg's McCarthy-era actions. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/on-the-waterfront) ## The AV Club — Noel Murray Rating A. 27 February 2013. The review celebrates the film's landmark status as a hybrid of neo-realism and noir with powerful Method acting and themes of honesty and conscience informed by its creators' histories. It singles out the iconic taxi scene and Brando's nuanced performance as standout elements. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/on-the-waterfront-1798175941) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Jack Moffitt Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 28 July 2017. The review hails the film as a brutally realistic and gripping gangster drama that exposes waterfront corruption while urging workers to fight for their rights. It singles out Budd Schulberg's masterful script, Elia Kazan's superb direction, and Marlon Brando's heartbreaking performance for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/waterfront-review-1954-movie-1024878/) ## The New Yorker Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 24 July 1954. The film is solidly based on real waterfront exposés and benefits from authentic Hoboken locations and Kazan's direction. Marlon Brando delivers an unmatched performance as the longshoreman redeemed through love, supported by superb work from Karl Malden and Eva Marie Saint. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1954/07/31/1954-07-31-052-tny-cards-000050823) ## The New York Times — A. W. Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 29 July 1954. The film is a violent and indelible record of man's inhumanity to man on the New York docksides, powerfully and imaginatively using the screen despite occasional surface dramatization. It is moviemaking of a rare and high order. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1954/07/29/archives/astor-offers-on-the-waterfront-brando-stars-in-film-directed-by.html) ## The Times Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 4 April 2024. The critic celebrates Marlon Brando’s defining performance as the whistleblowing docker Terry Malloy and the film’s lasting impact, including its Oscar wins for best picture, director and acting. The iconic “I coulda been a contender” speech is singled out as still powerfully resonant decades later. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/classic-film-on-the-waterfront-1954-review-marlon-brando-kr32zchcl) ## Variety Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). The film is packed with strongarm dramatics that promise impressive business, featuring a rousing scenario with murder, mayhem, and expertly turned dialog. Kazan stages the fireworks and tender meetings effectively, with strong performances especially from Brando and newcomer Eva Marie Saint. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1954/film/reviews/on-the-waterfront-2-1200417738/) ## Slant Magazine — Chuck Bowen Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 18 February 2013. The review calls the film an incredibly stirring and relevant melodrama that fuses neo-realism with noir and mythic elements, remaining contemporary in its portrayal of disenfranchisement. It singles out Brando's transcendent performance and the atmospheric location shooting for praise. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/on-the-waterfront/) ## Empire — William Thomas Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The film is a bleak look at corruption and the indignity of labour, humanised by Brando's subtle performance as Terry Malloy. It remains a classic despite the political baggage of its makers. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/waterfront-review/) ## Los Angeles Times — Philip K. Scheuer Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 25 July 1954. The story draws from authentic sources including a real priest and Pulitzer-winning articles, and Kazan declares it God's truth about New York longshoremen. It is sootily realistic and looms as a dark horse film of 1954. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/story/2022-09-02/from-the-archives-on-waterfront-sootily-realistic-looms-as-dark-horse-film-of-54) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 11 September 1954. The film is a ferocious and splendidly constructed indictment of labour racketeering on the New York docks, with realistic treatment that matches the best location-shot American films. Performances are remarkable, especially Marlon Brando as the docker ex-pugilist and Lee J. Cobb as the union boss, though the attempt to blend realism with Christian symbolism creates some aesthetic unease. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/article/2024/sep/11/on-the-waterfront-review-self-assured-realism-brando-1954) ## Den of Geek — Tony Sokol Rating 5/5. 27 December 2013. The critic presents the film through the eyes of a dock mobster who views Terry Malloy as a rat and denounces the story's betrayal theme, while acknowledging its classic status, social relevance, and Brando's iconic performance. It highlights the film's bold, headline-inspired filmmaking and Kazan's personal context as points of both praise and critique. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/culture/on-the-waterfront-terry-malloy-was-a-rat/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/on-the-waterfront.md