On the Waterfront (1954)
Elia Kazan's classic drama starring Marlon Brando as a former boxer reduced to running errands for the mob who control the trade unions in the New York docklands.
Seeing the film in 2021 again it loses none of it's intensity and feels like the movie which probably influenced Scorsese the most, from it's realistic approach to mob corruption to the superb method acting from it's cast in what is a challenging and unpredictable crime film.
Brando is excellent but he's not alone. Karl Malden as the local priest delivers one hell of a powerful performance and Eva Marie Saint rightly won an Oscar for her role as Brando's girlfriend whilst Lee J Cobb was born to play corrupt union chief Johnny Friendly.
However when it comes down to it On the Waterfront is Marlon Brando's film. His performance is extraordinary and you cannot take your eyes off him.
Superb stuff and a watershed movie in cinema history.
|