Terry Malloy dreams about being a prize fighter, while tending his pigeons and running errands at the docks for Johnny Friendly, the corrupt boss of the dockers union. Terry witnesses a murder by two of Johnny's thugs, and later meets the dead man's sister and feels responsible for his death. She introduces him to Father Barry, who tries to force him to provide information for the courts that will smash the dock racketeers.

The film stars Marlon Brando as Terry Malloy, Karl Malden as Father Barry, Lee J. Cobb as Johnny Friendly and Rod Steiger as Charley 'the Gent' Malloy.

For all its great dramatic and cinematic qualities, and its fiery social criticism, Elia Kazan's On the Waterfront is also one of the most gripping melodramas of political corruption and individual heroism ever made in the United States. A five-star movie!!!

I think I need to watch this film again in order to give it a proper review. However, it is more than worth watching. Even if you generally find yourself turned off by older films. I saw this many years ago before I had the words and intellect to pull apart what it really meant it's different levels. However, it did leave a personal impression on me, even at such a young age. I think that is the mark of a great film.

I can't think of how to describe this movie. It leaves you with glances of Eva Marie Saint looking ethereal, Brando looking sexy and human and Karl Malden as a heroic priest. It also leaves you angry at injustices and uplifted. I'm making it sound too corny and it is not corny.