Review of On the Waterfront (1954) by Wayne K — 22 Feb 2016

While it may be anchored by an age-defining performance by screen giant Marlon Brando, On The Waterfront is a film I found very difficult to get into and engage with. Constantly forgetting that it's supposed to be about brutal mob bosses and cowardly Longshoremen, it's too often distracted by the repetitive interactions between its leads. It's very unfocused and melodramatic, the editing is clumsy in places, and the music is incredibly irritating. At certain points there a surge in the soundtrack when there's absolutely no call for it, and the characters appear to stand around awkwardly as if waiting for it to die down, and the dramatic score hammers away at the dramatic moments, making them unduly schmaltzy. There's also some very poor fight choreography, including 1 or 2 punches executed so badly I found myself laughing at them.

Overall I didn't hate the film, I just thought it was too cluttered to be enjoyable and too dull to be rewatchable. It may be a classic in many people eyes, and certainly impressed the Academy in it's time, but for me it's an over-long snoozer I won't be rushing to see again any time soon.