Sweet Smell of Success - 1959

A superhero has their power, a villain has their motive, but Burt Lancaster has something that is more desirable than all of the above- the ability to deliver lines like I have never seen before, or will ever see in the future. Roger Ebert included this movie in his book "The Great Movies". Just like Days of Heaven, Ebert was right on the nail. Incredible. It is on my top 100 list. In fact, Burt Lancaster's performance should be in the top 50 characters of all time. Lancaster plays J.J. Hunsaker- a man so in love with himself that his love for others is nothing more than a manipulative controlling friendship which is pulled off so smoothly that even J.J. doesn't realize just how evil he is. His success is dependent on the slease that is underneath him- and their ability to pull off unethical jobs which J.J. gives the green light on. Tony Curtis turns in a great performance as Sidney Falco- a press agent with as much integrity and morals as a jar of peanut butter. His soul is twisted like a pretzel. When J.J. asks him to do something against the law- his response is without hesitation "the cats in the bag and the bag is in the river". J.J. who is more corrupt than a mobster, realizes how slimy Falco really is and says to him "“I’d hate to take a bite out of you. You’re a cookie full of arsenic”. Sidney is in a dog eat dog world and wants to make it to the top- and he will do anything to get there. The movie is much more than one liners- it is the cinematography of a sleasy new york that put the show on the Oscar map. Some of the scenes are just incredible. Susan Harrison plays J.J's. sister. Here is some weird trivia- Susan's daughter in real life is none other than Darva Conger- the bimbo who married the millionaire Rick Rockwell on the TV show "who wants to marry a millionaire" that aired about 12 years ago. Back to the show- this one is one of Ebert's top shows for a reason- it is unique, the dialogue is intriging and the acting is top shelf. Well done. Next up for me is a Cary Grant movie nominated for 5 Oscars - The Awful Truth.