On the Waterfront

Did Terry realize that if he testified that Charlie would be knocked off?

Charlie was whacked beforeTerry testified. He had been thinking about testifying, and Johnny Friendly told Charlie to convince him not to--or else. In response, Charlie, in the famous taxi ride, was taking Terry to a warehouse or some other secluded place where, presumably, Friendly's thugs would work Tery over--maybe kill him. When Charlie told Terry the address, Terry caught on. Then Charlie relented. But Charlie's fate was sealed when Terry got out of the cab. He may still have been on the fence about testifying, but Charlie's murder pushed him over the edge.