10. On The Waterfront - 1954
One of the greatest films of all time, On The Waterfront tells the story of a former prize fighter turned dockworker who stands up to corruption inside his union and becomes the man he should always have been. Directed with near perfection by Elia Kazan, this film bears no fat over the course of its running time. It helps to have a prime Marlon Brando in the main role giving perhaps his most iconic performance, but more on that in a moment. First we'll deal with the competition. The closest rival this film had in 1954 was The Caine Mutiny. Featuring a standout performance from Humphrey Bogart, Mutiny was a very good film but nothing could compare to the raw intensity and natural performances that Kazan got out of his cast in On The Waterfront. It takes more than just a standout lead actor to make a great film and as great as Brando was in Waterfront, the supporting actors are what elevated the film into legendary status. Eva Marie Saint and Lee J. Cobb gave career-defining performances but Karl Malden nearly equaled Brando in every scene they shared. That's a hell of a thing because Brando changed acting forever after Waterfront. In the end, top to bottom, On The Waterfront blew away the competition.