Review of Sweet Smell of Success (1957) by Wes M — 20 Apr 2012

"The cat's in the bag, and the bag's in the river." Fun fact, Breaking Bad borrowed that line for 2 episode titles. Damn, this was amazing. First off, it's 1950s noir, so you know it possesses a certain aura of "cool".

And while we're on the subject, it's not your typical noir: most noir films feature a dark, violent crime. Violence is absent in this one, but it is replaced with the ruination of reputations.

Second, it is very dialogue driven, with some of the best tongue-in-cheek lines you'll ever hear. I felt like I was watching the average episode of Mad Men haha. The camera is quite steady, with dozens of long takes and cool angles to set the mood.

I think a big reason I love noir so much is that the characters are so overly mysterious. You can never quite tell what their true intentions are: good, bad, chaotic, neutral, foolish, conniving, or something else entirely.

It adds a whole different element to how you watch and dissect the film. The script was impeccably written, using figurative language at every turn. Used today, it usually doesn't work, and movies come off as arrogant and too, idk, self-aware? (Kicking and Screaming comes to mind.

) But if a film can make me smile/smirk for its entirety, that is a rare gift. If you're one of those people that doesn't like a "talking movie", you need to sit down and reassess your life, cuz this film was out of this world, and never a dull moment.

It was my first Burt Lancaster, first Tony Curtis, and first Alexander Mackendrick. Needless to say, I've just found 2 new actors to watch for, and another director who's got the right stuff. Nothing else to say, cept that I can't wait to see it again!