Sweet Smell of Success
1957
***
Director: Alexander Mackendrick
Cast: Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Susan Harrison, Martin Milner, Sam Levene, Chico Hamilton, Emile Meyer, Barbara Nichols
This matter-of-fact drama is adapted from Ernest Lehman's novelette, and it's about a press agent and a newspaper columnist who are both shrewd at manipulating the truth for their own purposes. The script is smart, the dialogue is sharp and the performances are strong. However, the characters are cynical and remote, and the story is never terribly captivating. James Wong Howe's striking black and white cinematography and Elmer Bernstein's groovy score ensure that the film at least looks and sounds great.
