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      Sweet Smell of Success

      1957, Drama, 1h 36m

      60 Reviews 5,000+ Ratings

      What to know

      Critics Consensus

      Sweet Smell of Success boasts a top-notch cast, sharp direction, atmospheric cinematography, and an appropriately jazzy score, making it one of the best noir crime thrillers ever made. Read critic reviews

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      Sweet Smell of Success  Photos

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      Movie Info

      New York City newspaper writer J.J. Hunsecker (Burt Lancaster) holds considerable sway over public opinion with his Broadway column, but one thing that he can't control is his younger sister, Susan (Susan Harrison), who is in a relationship with aspiring jazz guitarist Steve Dallas (Marty Milner). Hunsecker strongly disproves of the romance and recruits publicist Sidney Falco (Tony Curtis) to find a way to split the couple, no matter how ruthless the method.

      • Genre: Drama

      • Original Language: English

      • Director: Alexander Mackendrick

      • Producer: James Hill

      • Writer: Ernest Lehman, Clifford Odets

      • Release Date (Theaters):  wide

      • Release Date (Streaming):

      • Runtime:

      • Distributor: United Artists, MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc.

      • Production Co: Norma Productions, Hill-Hecht-Lancaster Productions

      • Sound Mix: Mono

      Cast & Crew

      Burt Lancaster
      Tony Curtis
      Martin Milner
      Susan Harrison
      Sam Levene
      Ernest Lehman
      Clifford Odets
      Tony Curtis
      Harold Hecht
      Burt Lancaster
      James Wong Howe
      Elmer Bernstein

      News & Interviews for Sweet Smell of Success

      Critic Reviews for Sweet Smell of Success

      Audience Reviews for Sweet Smell of Success

      • Nov 16, 2015

        The acting, the script, the direction, the energy. Stunning!

        Super Reviewer
      • May 20, 2013

        A double-barrelled shotgun in the face of celebrity press and American societal values itself, the film snaps, crackles, and pops with its depiction of a Broadway publicist's crawl to the top and what he does to get there. Curtis and Lancaster make Darth Vader and Hannibal Lector seem like Disney friends.

        kevin w Super Reviewer
      • Mar 25, 2013

        Tony Curtis steals the show as the ever so lovable PR man who just continually digs such a deep hole for himself. You want him to get away with it but know that he is ultimately doomed.

        Super Reviewer
      • Nov 18, 2012

        While I'm less impressed with the script of "Sweet Smell of Success" than I am with the leading performances of Tony Curtis and Burt Lancaster, I do admire the quick-wittedness of the dialogue and the lightning-like pace at which it is uttered by its cynical characters. Tony Curtis' performance is arguably the best of his career and though Lancaster's character is a bit frightening, he feels disappointingly underused. I also liked Elmer Bernstein's jazzy score and James Wong Howe's black-and-white photography.

        Super Reviewer

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