„A small but obviously dedicated group of realists has forged artistry, anger and some horrible truths into „On the Waterfront,“ as violent and indelible a film record of man’s inhumanity to man as has come to light this year. […] Despite its happy ending; its preachments and a somewhat slick approach to some of the facets of dockside strife and tribulations, „On the Waterfront“ is moviemaking of a rare and high order.“ – Rezension von A. H. Weiler in The New York Times vom 29. Juli 1954, abgerufen am 9. Januar 2013.
„Today the story no longer seems as fresh; both the fight against corruption and the romance fall well within ancient movie conventions. But the acting and the best dialogue passages have an impact that has not dimmed […]“ – Rezension von Roger Ebert in Chicago Sun-Times vom 21. März 1999, abgerufen am 9. Januar 2013.
„An exasperated Lindsay Anderson blasted the film’s final scene as „implicitly (if unconsciously) Fascist.“ […] He was most disturbed that the ignorant and befuddled longshoremen transferred loyalties so easily from one oppressor (Johnny Friendly) to another potential oppressor (Terry Malloy) without experiencing some „sense of liberation.“ […] Aroused and confused over the ambivalent message, Anderson insisted that the final scene could be taken in only „two ways: as hopelessly, savagely ironic; or as fundamentally contemptuous, pretending to idealism but in reality without either grace, or joy, or love.“ Anderson noticed correctly that the actual conditions which created the oppressive “system” were missing […]“ – Kenneth Hey: Ambivalence as a Theme in „On the Waterfront“ (1954): An Interdisciplinary Approach to Film Study, in American Quarterly, Vol. 31, Nr. 5 (Winter 1979), Sonderheft: Film and American Studies, The Johns Hopkins University Press 1979, S. 666–696, mit Auszügen aus: Lindsay Anderson: The Last Sequence of „On the Waterfront“ in Sight & Sound Nr. 24, Januar–März 1955, S. 127–130.
synchrondatenbank.de
Die Faust im Nacken. In: Synchrondatenbank von Arne Kaul. Abgerufen am 15. Februar 2021.
„Under Elia Kazan’s direction, Marlon Brando puts on a spectacular show, giving a fascinating, multi-faceted performance […] A part of „Waterfront“ looks designed for grandstand cheers. This is the climax where Brando, although beaten almost to unconsciousness, manages to rise and lead the longshoremen to a pier job that means the end of Cobb’s cutthroat reign. This is lacking in conviction.“ – Rezension in Variety aus dem Jahr 1954 (ohne nähere Datumsangabe), abgerufen am 9. Januar 2013.
web.archive.org
„[…] powerful stuff. It is undermined, however, by both the religious symbolism […] and the embarrassing special pleading on behalf of informers […] Politics apart, though, it’s pretty electrifying.“ – Rezension (Memento vom 8. November 2012 im Internet Archive) von Geoff Andrew im Time Out Film Guide, Seventh Edition 1999. Penguin, London 1998, abgerufen am 9. Januar 2013.
zeit.de
Rezension in Die Zeit Nr. 52/1954 vom 30. Dezember 1954, abgerufen am 9. Januar 2013.
