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Sweet Smell of Success is a fantastic film that deserves every ounce of praise it's gotten and more. And as much as I did like The Big Knife from two years earlier, with Jack Palance, which also had writing by Clifford Odets, Sweet Smell of Success was a far better and more consistent film.
There are so many things that are done so wonderfully in Sweet Smell of Success that it is hard to decide where to start praising it. It is a very accomplished looking film, with atmospheric lighting and elegant-looking costuming and settings. Elmer Bernstein's jazzy music score is both electrifyingly characterful and hauntingly powerful, matching the atmosphere brilliantly and enhancing even more effectively. The story is ceaselessly compelling, with the gritty realism of it being so ahead of its time(i.e. Lancaster's relationship with his sister) and the atmosphere whether bitingly satirical, poignant or moodily oppressive is so rich. It's very intelligently directed by Alexander MacKendrick, and the characters are astonishingly vivid. Has Tony Curtis ever had a meatier character? Possibly not.
In Sweet Smell of Success there are three components that are especially great. The outstanding cinematography(by far the standout elements visually) is one, both luminous and moody, Sweet Smell of Success has to be one of the best-looking films of the late 50s. The screenplay sizzles and crackles thrillingly, not only boasting some of cinema's quotable lines but also bringing the characters to life so vividly, nothing whatsoever over-heated here like the writing in The Big Knife has been criticised to be by viewers. Then we have Tony Curtis and Burt Lancaster, who both give career-best performances, Curtis has the showier role and completely lives it in a way rarely seen before with him(for the record, I happen to like Curtis so this is in no way a criticism) while Lancaster has never been more spine-curdling. The rest of the cast are fine too, but it's Curtis and Lancaster who really live long in the memory.
Overall, a fantastic film, and deserving all the praise it's received and deserves even more. It's a touch anti-climactic at the end(a slightly longer length might have helped) but even that is nowhere near enough to drag down the film when everything else is so good. A very easy 10/10 Bethany Cox
10/10
