Tattle tale? More like someone who wasn't afraid to speak out against what was wrong. In On the Waterfront, Terry Maloy is just that. His brother, Charlie, has a job with the local mob, and he has many connections to it. But then, he witnesses the murder of his acquaintance, Joey. Terry isn't to shaken, although he knew he had played a part by luring Joey on to the roof, where he had been pushed off of. Sometime later, Terry is at a church that is attacked by some local hooligans. He escapes with Joey's sister, Edy. Terry and Edy become friends and fall in love. But, Edy doesn't know that Terry had any involement with Joey's murder. When she does find out, Terry decides to testify against the mob in Joey's murder trial. Johnny Friendly, the mob boss, tries to have Charlie kill Terry but Charlie can't do it and ends up getting killed himself. And then Terry gets to testify and send the entire mob to prison.

According to the mob, Terry was a rat, or stool pigeon or whatever you want to call it. But to everyone else, he was a moral crusader. Terry stood up when no one else would, for fear of being murdered. They had good reason to too. Terry's situation was black and white. He could either be a coward and know that the woman he loved's brother could have been avenged. Or, he could've done what he did. The right thing. And risk his life to put behind bars the mob that controlled the waterfront.