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Sweet Smell of Success [DVD] [2000] [1 disc] [Multilingual] [Region 1]

1 disc
Region 1 USA/CA (info)

Director Alexander Mackendrick breaks away from black comedy (THE LADYKILLERS) and goes for full-fledged noir in this spectacular hard-boiled tale of greed, corruption, and brutality. In the flashing neon nighttime of NYC, grasping press agent Sidney Falco (Tony Curtis) trawls the city's toniest nightspots--21,the Elysian--searching for the king of celebrity columnists, J.J. Hunsecker (Burt Lancaster). Falco is on the outs with Hunsecker because he hasn't successfully broken up the romance between Hunsecker's sister, Susie (Susan Harrison), and straitlaced jazz guitarist Steve Dallas (Martin Milner). The all-powerful Hunsecker is punishing Falco's failure by not printing any of the publicist's items. Desperate to make a living, Falco reveals a dirty plan to separate weak-willed Susie from her beau. While disgusted by Falco's slimy trade, the threatening, malicious columnist is determined to keep Susie for himself, so he agrees. In this jazzily scored, seamy nocturnal world, everyone is expendable as Hunsecker pushes for his twisted desires and Falco grasps for success. With their machine-gun dialogue and despicable behavior, Hunsecker and Falco are as dangerous as gangsters. The person who comes out on top when the sun rises, however, is a true surprise.
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Additional Info

Manufacturer Part Number (MPN): 1002066
Credits

Burt Lancaster, Burton Stephen Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Bernard Schwartz, Anthony Curtis, Martin Milner, Marty Milner, Samm Levine, Barbara Nichols, Jeff Donnell, Edith Atwater, Emile Meyer
Critic Reviews

"...The film lives on -- sharp-edged, merciless. The performances of Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis have not dated or grown soft..."
Chicago Sun-Times
"[T]he movie gave off a new, cynical metropolitan attitude, with more twists than a barrel of pretzels."
Premiere