On The Waterfront

1954.

#8 / #19

Winner of 8 Academy Awards.

ON THE WATERFRONT follows washed-up boxer Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando) as he stands up to the mob as a longshoreman.

Sarah: By the end of this film, you will be clapping and yelling at your television. Marlon Brando's performance is a masterpiece. He is such a well-constructed hero. He is also really sexy. But really, one of the best performances I have ever seen. It is complicated and simple all at once. Throughout the film, Terry cares for a coop of pigeons. Later he tries to care for Edie (Eva Marie Saint) in the same way he looks out for his pigeons. My favorite part is when he tries to feed her. You can't not fall in love with him in this movie. He is too good.

Eddie: When Sarah and I started this little venture of ours, I thought that I must've already seen all the good movies on the list. ON THE WATERFRONT proved me wrong. This is easily one of the ten best films ever made. I've been kicking myself for not having seen it sooner. Marlon Brando's performance is so moving, it's almost unfair to the other actors. He's acting circles around them. The scenes between Brando and Saint show him at his best. He plays Terry Malloy the way a concert pianist plays Mozart. It's just incredible. For someone who had really only known Brando as Don Corleone, it was mind-blowing to see him so good at such a young age.

Why you should see it: It's been imitated ad nauseam, but the Contender Speech is probably the greatest monologue in any movie ever made.