Tuesday, August 9, 2016

Muriels Hall of Fame, Class of 2016: Sweet Smell of Success (1957, Alexander Mackendrick)


“When I first watched Alexander Mackendrick’s Sweet Smell of Success a few years ago, I remember being struck by just how cruel it is (or, more specifically, many of its characters). It reminded me strongly of Neil LaBute’s In the Company of Men, which I saw much earlier and was no doubt influenced by the earlier film. Both center on two men, one a coolly intelligent, emotionless sociopath and the other a spineless weasel who functions as his sidekick/patsy, and we observe, helpless, as they scheme to ruin the life of a woman. Mackendrick’s film may include fewer four-letter-words, but the dialogue cuts every bit as deep." ~ Jason Alley

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