Review of Sweet Smell of Success (1957) by Matt B — 17 May 2010

New York has never looked so glamorous or so sleazy as in this late film noir classic about a desperate press agent Sidney Falco (Curtis) who will stop at nothing in order to impress the all-powerful columnist J.J. Hunsecker (Lancaster). Alexander Mackendrick keeps the film moving at an swift pace from one scene to the next, and even though it is remembered for its extraordinarily quotable dialog (courtesy of Ernest Lehman and Clifford Odets), the film features spectacular nocturnal visuals of Manhattan, photographed by James Wong Howe. Howe captures the noir atmospherics so well that the shadows in the streets appear to be darker than the night sky, which appears as a kind of dark gray, illuminated by the lights of New York. Lancaster gives arguably the best performance of his career, imbuing Hunsecker with a strong sense of menace, and a stare that cuts through his victims like a knife.

The plot has Falco trying to keep an eye on Hunseckerâ??s younger sister, Susan (Harrison), whoâ??s in love with a clean-cut young jazz musician, Steve (Milner), that Hunsecker disapproves of with a vengeance. Falco will do anything to curry the favor of Hunsecker, in order to get his clientsâ?? names mentioned in his column and become the big-shot press agent he dreams of being. He sells his soul in the process, and is finally betrayed in the filmâ??s disturbing and unexpected conclusion.

Much of the film consists of Hunseckerâ??s mind games in trying to trap Steve into some situation where he can break him and tear him apart; indeed, this sums up pretty much all of Hunseckerâ??s interactions with the characters in the film. Emile Meyer is perfect as the slimy police officer who will plant evidence or drop charges on a whim at Hunseckerâ??s command. The Chico Hamilton Quinet appears as themselves, providing the intense jazz score that drives the film (along with the memorable orchestral score by Elmer Bernstein).