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Movies that feel like On the Waterfront (1954)

If you loved On the Waterfront, the closest films we have are Splendor in the Grass (1961), Pierrot le Fou (1965) and West Side Story (1961). All three share On the Waterfront's contemplative and romantic feel, which is what we rank on before quality. 8 of the 12 picks below are included with a subscription right now on HBO Max, Criterion Channel and IndieFlix and others, checked against today's data.

A prizefighter-turned-longshoreman with a conscience goes up against labor leaders to expose corruption, extortion, and murder among the union ranks.

πŸ… 99% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 8.1 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Elia Kazangrittycontemplativeromantictender

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If On the Waterfront hit the spot, these will too

Splendor in the Grass poster
Splendor in the Grass
1961 Β· dir. Elia Kazan
πŸ… 75%β˜… 7.7drama Β· romance

Elia Kazan directing both, with the same fingerprints on each

The difference: None of the grit On the Waterfront is built on

A fragile Kansas girl's unrequited and forbidden love for a handsome young man from the town's most powerful family drives her to heartbreak and madness.

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Pierrot le Fou poster
Pierrot le Fou
1965 Β· dir. Jean-Luc Godard
πŸ… 88%β˜… 7.4drama Β· romance Β· crime

The same preoccupation in both: dock

Pierrot escapes his boring society and travels from Paris to the Mediterranean Sea with Marianne, a girl chased by hit-men from Algeria. They lead an unorthodox life, always on the run.

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West Side Story poster
West Side Story
1961 Β· dir. Jerome Robbins
πŸ… 92%β˜… 7.6crime Β· drama Β· romance

Gritty where it counts, contemplative underneath

In Manhattan’s Upper West Side, rival gangs of Polish-Americans and newly arrived Puerto Ricans clash for control of the neighborhood, even as two young members from opposite sides fall dangerously in love.

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East of Eden poster
East of Eden
1955 Β· dir. Elia Kazan
πŸ… 86%β˜… 7.8drama

Elia Kazan working the same nerve twice

In the Salinas Valley in and around World War I, Cal Trask feels he must compete against overwhelming odds with his brother for the love of their father. Cal is frustrated at every turn, from his reaction to the war, how to get ahead in business and in life, and how to relate to his estranged mother.

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Port of Shadows poster
Port of Shadows
1938 Β· dir. Marcel CarnΓ©
πŸ… 97%β˜… 7.7romance Β· drama Β· crime

Both land romance and tenderness at once

Down a foggy, desolate road to the port city of Le Havre travels Jean, an army deserter looking for another chance to make good on life. Fate, however, has a different plan for him, as acts of both revenge and kindness render him front-page news.

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The Earrings of Madame de... poster
The Earrings of Madame de...
1953 Β· dir. Max OphΓΌls
πŸ… 97%β˜… 7.9drama Β· romance

Both are built on the same subject: black and white

In late 19th century France, the Countess Louise, wife of a wealthy general, sells the earrings her husband gave her on their wedding day to pay off her secret debts, then claims to have lost them. Her husband quickly learns of the deceit, which is the beginning of many tragic misunderstandings, all involving the earrings, the general, the countess, and her new lover, the Italian Baron Donati.

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Children of Paradise poster
Children of Paradise
1945 Β· dir. Marcel CarnΓ©
πŸ… 98%β˜… 8.3drama Β· romance

Common ground: murder

In a chaotic 19th-century Paris teeming with aristocrats, thieves, psychics, and courtesans, theater mime Baptiste is in love with the mysterious actress Garance. But Garance, in turn, is loved by three other men: pretentious actor Frederick, conniving thief Lacenaire, and Count Edouard of Montray.

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Summer with Monika poster
Summer with Monika
1953 Β· dir. Ingmar Bergman
πŸ… 100%β˜… 7.5drama Β· romance

Both keep coming back to the same thing: black and white

One summer day, two teens begin a reckless affair and abandon their families to be with one another.

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Badlands poster
Badlands
1974 Β· dir. Terrence Malick
πŸ… 97%β˜… 7.7drama Β· romance Β· crime

Both lean on grit more than on crime

The difference: 20 years apart, and the 1970s show

An impressionable teenage girl from a dead-end town and her older greaser boyfriend embark on a killing spree in the South Dakota badlands.

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The Hustler poster
The Hustler
1961 Β· dir. Robert Rossen
πŸ… 94%β˜… 7.9drama Β· romance

Contemplative drama in both cases

Fast Eddie Felson is a small-time pool hustler with a lot of talent but a self-destructive attitude. His bravado causes him to challenge the legendary Minnesota Fats to a high-stakes match.

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Brief Encounter poster
Brief Encounter
1945 Β· dir. David Lean
πŸ… 95%β˜… 8drama Β· romance

Romance built on romance, twice over

Returning home from a shopping trip to a nearby town, bored suburban housewife Laura Jesson is thrown by happenstance into an acquaintance with virtuous doctor Alec Harvey. Their casual friendship soon develops during their weekly visits into something more emotionally fulfilling than either expected, and they must wrestle with the potential havoc their deepening relationship would have on their lives and the lives of those they love.

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Marty poster
Marty
1955 Β· dir. Delbert Mann
πŸ… 96%β˜… 7.7drama Β· romance

Tender drama, and it commits to that

Marty, a butcher who lives in the Bronx with his mother, is unmarried at 34. Good-natured but socially awkward, he faces constant badgering from family and friends to get married but has reluctantly resigned himself to bachelorhood. He then meets Clara, an unattractive school teacher. Realising their emotional connection, Marty promises to call, but family and friends try to convince him not to.

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The best-reviewed films that share On the Waterfront’s defining feeling.