Tony Curtis and Burt Lancaster play against type in this unapologetically but delightfully nasty film about the desire to be "known" in the New York social scene, and the lengths to which people will go, or the depths to which they will sink, to achieve fame.
It's rare to come across such a blisteringly pessimistic film as this one, even today. Lancaster gives one of the best performances of his career as J.J. Hunsecker, gossip columnist to NY's social elite, who lurks in dark corners of exclusive restaurants like a bird of prey waiting to pounce on those weaker than him. He can make or break a career with a few words put to paper, and he doesn't insist that the words be true. Tony Curtis plays slimy loser Sidney Falco, who desperately wants to be somebody, and jumps to J.J.'s commands like a circus animal. Together, these two prowl the grimy, shadowy streets of a nightmare version of the Big Apple, creating a vision more steeped in film noir than the most noirish detective movie. Accusations of Communist sympathies are made, while Hunsecker reveals an unnatural fondness for his sister. All of this is set to a discordant and jazzy score that's like the aural version of neon signs.
You could fill a book with the quotable lines from this film. My favorite....."That fish is four days old, and I ain't buyin' it." Or the ever classic "I'd hate to take a bite out of you. You're a cookie full of arsenic." Indeed, the movie is a cookie full of arsenic -- bitter at its center, but so damn sweet and enjoyable.
Grade: A+
It's rare to come across such a blisteringly pessimistic film as this one, even today. Lancaster gives one of the best performances of his career as J.J. Hunsecker, gossip columnist to NY's social elite, who lurks in dark corners of exclusive restaurants like a bird of prey waiting to pounce on those weaker than him. He can make or break a career with a few words put to paper, and he doesn't insist that the words be true. Tony Curtis plays slimy loser Sidney Falco, who desperately wants to be somebody, and jumps to J.J.'s commands like a circus animal. Together, these two prowl the grimy, shadowy streets of a nightmare version of the Big Apple, creating a vision more steeped in film noir than the most noirish detective movie. Accusations of Communist sympathies are made, while Hunsecker reveals an unnatural fondness for his sister. All of this is set to a discordant and jazzy score that's like the aural version of neon signs.
You could fill a book with the quotable lines from this film. My favorite....."That fish is four days old, and I ain't buyin' it." Or the ever classic "I'd hate to take a bite out of you. You're a cookie full of arsenic." Indeed, the movie is a cookie full of arsenic -- bitter at its center, but so damn sweet and enjoyable.
Grade: A+