Review: Sweet Smell of Success (1957)

IMDb Synopsis: Powerful but unethical Broadway columnist J.J. Hunsecker coerces unscrupulous press agent Sidney Falco into breaking up his sister's romance with a jazz musician.

I've always heard a lot about Sweet Smell of Success, especially in my last few months of blogging. Many film critics call it one of the best films of all time- and for good reason.

This film stars Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis- the former I've seen in several films recently, the latter I'm slightly unfamiliar with, which has saddened me since his death last September. I found both of their performances to be spectacular and I plan to watch and review more Tony Curtis films later this year. I also thought Lancaster was quite interesting as the villain, compared to his roles in films like From Here to Eternity and Run Silent, Run Deep. His character was voted #35 on the villains portion of the American Film Institute's list "100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains."


There's also a great supporting cast, including Susan Harrison as Lancaster's sister and Martin Milner as her boyfriend. I find it a bit odd that Harrison didn't receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.


Overall, Sweet Smell of Success is one of the great film noirs and one of the best films I've ever seen. I'll definitely be revisiting it soon. 

5/5 stars