Sweet Smell of Success
1957, Drama, 1h 36m
52 Reviews 5,000+ RatingsWhat to know
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
Movie Info
Cast & Crew
J.J. Hunsecker
Sidney Falco
Steve Dallas
Rita
Susan Hunsecker
Frank D' Angelo
News & Interviews for Sweet Smell of Success
Critic Reviews for Sweet Smell of Success
All Critics (52) | Top Critics (18) | Fresh (51) | Rotten (1)
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It's a tough tale about utterly amoral people. I thought the ending rather weak bet for most of the footage the film packs plenty of punch.
August 10, 2020 | Full Review… -
It is beautifully shot in gleaming black and white (James Wong Howe) and written in a lucid, over-exposed one o'clock in the morning style by Clifford Odets and Ernest Lehman.
March 31, 2020 | Full Review… -
New York never looked as thrillingly sordid as it does in this scabrous masterpiece.
April 9, 2015 | Rating: 5/5 | Full Review… -
Quote not available.
November 17, 2011 | Rating: 5/5 | Full Review… -
Sweet Smell, which could have been offal, is raised to considerable dramatic heights by intense acting, taut direction (by Alexander Mackendrick), [and] superb camera work (by James Wong Howe).
April 21, 2009 | Full Review… -
Mackendrick's nighthawk landscape is compellingly, poetically bleak.
April 21, 2009 | Full Review…
Audience Reviews for Sweet Smell of Success
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Nov 16, 2015The acting, the script, the direction, the energy. Stunning!Marcus W Super Reviewer
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May 20, 2013A 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 M. W Super Reviewer
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Mar 25, 2013Tony 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.John B Super Reviewer
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Nov 18, 2012While 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.Stephen E Super Reviewer
Sweet Smell of Success Quotes
| Otis Elwell: | Like the rest of the human race,I'm bored |
| Otis Elwell: | Like the rest of the human race, I'm bored. |
| Otis Elwell: | Consternation reigns |
| Otis Elwell: | Consternation reigns. |
| Susan Hunsecker: | 10 cents of American tel and tell |
| Susan Hunsecker: | 10 cents of American tell and tell. |
| Sidney Falco: | From now on the best of everything is good enough for me |
| Sidney Falco: | From now on the best of everything is good enough for me. |
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