91
Metascore
15 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertThe acting and the best dialogue passages have an impact that has not dimmed; it is still possible to feel the power of the film and of Brando and Kazan, who changed American movie acting forever.
- A draining experience from beginning to end, relentless in its portrayal of inhumanity.
- 100Boston GlobeTy BurrBoston GlobeTy BurrThe chance to watch a four-star classic the way it was meant to be seen -- fresh print, big screen -- is so rare as to be worth the trip.
- 100Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranLos Angeles TimesKenneth TuranAs unspoiled in its key elements as the day it was made, "On the Waterfront" is indisputably one of the great American films, its power undiminished. Even more today than half a century ago, it demands to be seen.
- 88ReelViewsJames BerardinelliReelViewsJames BerardinelliOn the Waterfront may have baggage, but that doesn't prevent it from being one of the great American productions of the mid-20th century.
- 80Chicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumChicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumIt's hard to deny that Marlon Brando's performance as a dock worker and ex-fighter who finally decides to rat on his gangster brother (Rod Steiger) is pretty terrific.
- 80The New York TimesThe New York TimesMoviemaking of a rare and high order. (Review of Original Release)
- 80Village VoiceJ. HobermanVillage VoiceJ. HobermanLike many cult films, it is also less than the sum of its parts.
- 75Christian Science MonitorDavid SterrittChristian Science MonitorDavid SterrittBrando made one of his most indelible impressions in this relentlessly dramatic, ever-controversial tale of loyalty and betrayal in the world of working-class unions.