On the Waterfront (1954)

Celebrating 100 Years of Columbia Pictures

A brooding Marlon Brando plays Terry Malloy, an ex-boxer who “coulda been a contender” but has ended up as a low-level henchman of a corrupt union boss (Lee J. Cobb). Tormented by the extortion and violence he witnesses, and inspired by a crusading priest (Karl Malden) and a young woman (Eva Marie Saint) whose brother was murdered at the hands of union goons, Terry turns on his masters. Though less showy than in his signature performance as Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire, Brando provides many immortal moments as the punch-drunk pug whose conscience and consciousness are slowly awakened; the famous taxicab scene between Terry and his crooked brother (Rod Steiger) is now cinema legend.

Directed by Elia Kazan

Rated NR