This, to me, feels like the truest form of old-school classic cinema. An aloof, strongman lead paired with an energetic, driven, and interesting female love interest who ultimately undermines what’s interesting about her by needlessly falling head over heels with the at times uncharismatic but sexy lead. All with a relatively simple plot that ultimately boils down to “is it right to do the right thing.” But boy, did I still enjoy this.
The dialogue at times is quite jarring, and some of the extras give rather droll line deliveries, but I was still captivated throughout. Characters feel bipolar; one sentence can turn a screaming and protesting Eva Marie Saint into a sedated, puppy-eyed lover. Similarly, Brando peaks the audio with violent screams seconds after being a still and lifeless cool shooter. But in a way, these overly theatrical performances help you through the relatively slow first half of the film. As the film’s main antagonist comes more into the fray, the film comes into its own. As Brando’s character has to face a final choice, the plot begins to open up and results in a brilliant final act, which is capped off with one of my favourite scenes in recent memory.
The corrupt workers union is used brilliantly as the antagonist to a failed world-class boxer who had his dreams pulled from under him in service of this union turned mafia. Brando doesn’t give the most nuanced performance, as his range seems to violently flip from a mumbling, detached lone ranger to a fiery, explosive lover, but he still manages to be a totally captivating presence throughout. I think his character arc could have done with some more time to transition to how it ends, but I was still totally enamored by him, and I can absolutely see how he carried so many films of that era.
This review is relatively short compared to some of my others, but ultimately I think that reflects this film perfectly. It is simple but captivating and knows to save its final uppercut for the last 30 minutes when this film explodes into a brilliantly tense but triumphant crescendo.
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