The beginning is quite confusing and it takes a while to take off. But both leads Tony Curtis and Burt Lancaster are just great. They play 2 of most slimy and conniving characters I have ever seen. The end is like a Greek tragedy. Definitely worth a look.
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.
"29.4.
Onkohan tästä muuten sanottu jo kaikki? Puolitoista tuntia hurahtaa hetkessä Mackendrickin noir-klassikon parissa. Vahvakontrastiset otokset Nykin yöstä ja muista paheiden pesistä kohtaavat letkeän jazzin, kun kaksi ikimuistoista opportunistia pelaavat likaista valtapeliä viattomien ja muidenkin roistojen kustannuksella. Sosiopaatti kolumnisti ja niljakas PR-agentti ovat addiktoituneet maineen, vallan ja mammonan tavoitteluun sekä kahliutuneet toisiinsa. Dominoiva osapuoli halvek"
Mr. Saturn added this to a list 3 weeks, 5 days ago
"29.3.2013
Rewatch. City lights look good, jazzy tunes bring something to it all and the whole things works- and is in motion mainly because of the great amount of character-driven and purposely flying dialogue, in which Tony Curtis especially delivers. Sometimes there seems to be no great story at all beneath all what's going on and the ending is just rushed, but none of that bothered me that much. As far as talky-films go, this ain't that far from the best of them. "
"
It's as near to perfection as films get. It's endlessly quotable, it contains some terrific performances, James Wong Howe does a monumental job with the photography yet again (as does Elmer Bernstein with the Jazz score) and it has probably one of the best endings of all time - love how Tony Curtis lies throughout the film and gets away with it, but when he tells the truth for once he's accused of lying! Curtis and Lancaster aside, the supporting cast are great too, particularly Emile Meyer as"
Mr. Saturn added this to a list 3 months, 1 week ago
"Sweet Smell of Success is, essentially, everything a great film-noir should be. Every character is so perfectly crooked and immoral, and the storyline has "more twists than a barrel of pretzels". Up until now, I've only ever seen Tony Curtis in more light-hearted roles, but he plays the quintessential leading "man with 40 faces" with much charm. The most memorable performance, of course, is Burt Lancaster, who effectively dons the role of the sinister, spiteful J.J. Hunsecker with "the scruples "
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