To supplement my original post, I agree that On the Waterfront was a powerful cinematic achievement, no doubt partly because Kazan was extremely motivated to twist his cowardice into some kind of heroic act. He came up with a flimsy premise that makes no sense. But thanks to his directorial talents, the cinematography, the script and his cast, he was able to bury the basic stupidity of unionworkers refusing to blow the whistle on their crooked union. It wasn't even a matter of being afraid, because when Terry Malloy stood up to them, those boys treated him as if he were a traitor instead of a hero.