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Title: Sweet Smell of Success (1957)
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| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Burt Lancaster | ... | J.J. Hunsecker | |
| Tony Curtis | ... | Sidney Falco | |
| Susan Harrison | ... | Susan Hunsecker | |
| Martin Milner | ... | Steve Dallas (as Marty Milner) | |
| Jeff Donnell | ... | Sally | |
| Sam Levene | ... | Frank D' Angelo | |
| Joe Frisco | ... | Herbie Temple | |
| Barbara Nichols | ... | Rita | |
| Emile Meyer | ... | Lt. Harry Kello | |
| Edith Atwater | ... | Mary | |
| The Chico Hamilton Quintet | ... | The Chico Hamilton Quintet | |
J.J. Hunsecker, the most powerful newspaper columnist in New York, is determined to prevent his sister from marrying Steve Dallas, a jazz musician. He therefore covertly employs Sidney Falco, a sleazy and unscrupulous press agent, to break up the affair by any means possible. Written by David Levene <D.S.Levene@durham.ac.uk>
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Remember how scary Robert Mitchum was in Night of the Hunter? Or Darth Vader in the first Star Wars movie? Well Burt Lancaster as J.J. Hunsecker is right up there with them. With his clipped words, ice-cold gaze, rigid neck and steel-rimmed glasses, he looks like he's ready to break people in half with just the power of his voice. He drifts through the film like an unstoppable barge, commanding every scene with just the turn of his head. Seldom is there such a powerful screen presence.
Lancaster's performance alone is worth seeing this film, but the writing cracks like a whip. This is some of the best writing I've ever seen in any film, recalling the brilliant writing of All About Eve or Citizen Kane: "Come back Sidney, I want to chastise you some more", "turn around and look: is she still standing there?", "you're a cookie full of arsenic", "I see your brother's words coming out of your mouth like a ventriloquist's dummy", "I would never use an elephant gun to shoot a mosquito". Over and over, the witty dialogue slices through the scenes like a razor. You have to see this film to believe it.
Tony Curtis was never better as a sleazy PR guy as he pimps his secretary, slobbers at J.J.'s heels like an obsequious mutt, and colludes with the crooked cops to frame people. Within this maelstrom of cynicism and anger are two young lovers, driven apart by J.J.'s overbearing presence.
The photography is excellent, you can almost smell the wet NYC streets. Black and white never looked better.
This is an excellent film, and highly recommended. I wish they still made movies like this.