Sweet Smell of Success

 

Sweet Smell takes place in the long-lost world of nightclubs and press agents and powerful newspaper columnists, a world where a blind item in the column of J.J. Hunsecker (Lancaster, in arguably the best performance of his career) can make or break anyone from a jazz guitarist to a senator. It’s a world where everyone speaks in gorgeously crafted hard-boiled argot (“What’s this boy got that Susie likes?” “Integrity… acute… like indigestion.” “What does this mean, integrity?” “A pocketful of firecrackers, waiting for a match.”). It’s all captured in luminous black-and-white cinematography by the great James Wong Howe.

The screenplay by Clifford Odets and Ernest Lehman follows slimy press agent Sidney Falco (Curtis) over two days as he sucks up to J.J. in hopes of getting his clients’ names in the column. J.J. wants favors in return, like breaking up an affair between J.J.’s sister Susan (Harrison) and jazz musician Steve (Milner). Sidney manages a nasty bit of PR jujitsu, placing a smear item about Steve in the column of one of J.J.’s rivals. That keeps J.J.’s hands clean. But Susan is ready to break free from her brother at any cost.

Every scene crackles with cynical energy, carried along by a jazzy Elmer Bernstein soundtrack. If there’s anything wrong with this movie, we can’t think what it might be. It’s a masterpiece. (Opens Fri; Music Box.)—Hank Sartin