Synopsis of On The Waterfront

I figured the best way to acquaint people with this film is to give a brief overview of the movie, hopefully without giving away to much of what happens so that if one decides to see On the Waterfront I will not have given away its ending. So for those not familiar with the film here is a brief synopsis.


Terry Malloy is a one-time prizefighter who now spends his days working as a longshoreman to earn a living, while sometimes running errands for the corrupt union boss Johnny Friendly. During one of his dealings for Friendly, Malloy inadvertently lures a fellow worker Joey Doyle, who wouldn't comply with Friendly, to his death. Now enters the lovely and serine Edie Doyle (Eva Marie Saint), the sister of Joey Doyle, who will stop at nothing to find out who is responsible for her brothers murder and to bring them to justice.

When Terry meets Edie he is immediately struck by her beauty and soft nature. As Terrys relationship with Edie grows, so too does his feelings of remorse for his actions involved in her brothers death. This eventually leads to Terry confessing to Edie about his part in Joeys murder. In the end Terry must choose between his loyalty to Friendly (who is out to see Malloy silenced) or to testify against Johnny Friendly and his thugs at the Waterfront Crime commission.

photo reference:

http://www.impawards.com/1954/on_the_waterfront.html

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