The MoFo Top 100 Film Noir Countdown

Sweet Smell of Success was #26 on the MoFo Top 100 of the 1950s.

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"Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream it takes over as the number one hormone. It bosses the enzymes, directs the pineal gland, plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to Film is more Film." - Frank Capra

Or Orson Welles. Or Billy Wilder. Or Robert Mitchum.

I mean at this point "he's back" could refer to multiple actors or directors.

Sweet Smell of Success is the Lancaster film I was referring to when I mentioned there was one where Burt barely contains his anger, where as in I Walk Alone, he lets it all out. Here's a review I wrote about recently in the Noirvember thread:

Despite hearing of its greatness for decades, I've only just now watched this excellent film and it certainly earned all the accolades given it. Although Burt Lancaster receives top billing as J.J. Hunsecker, the ruthless Manhattan columnist who can make or break the careers of most anyone, it's Tony Curtis as press agent Sidney Falco who is in motion throughout most every scene, trying to please J.J. by doing dirty work for him. And all just to get a favorable mention in J.J.'s column so it can boost Sidney's career. But recently Sidney has been shut out of J.J.'s column because Sidney is moving a bit slow in breaking up the romance between J.J.'s sister, Susan (Susan Harrison) and a jazz guitarist, Steve Dallas (Martin Milner).

It's hard to tell who is more sleazy of the two, because they both do whatever they can to destroy people who stand in their way, or those they just don't like. Steve is really a decent guy but Sidney knows Steve has a temper when confronted by him, and later uses that to bait him into lashing out against J.J. in front of Susan. Susan is weak-willed where her brother is concerned, and both Sidney and J.J. know it. It's heartbreaking to see how these men are so sharp as to pick up on things they can use against people for power. Lancaster is pretty scary when, as a Senator "friend" says, "Why does everything you say sound like a threat?" And it does. There's also a scene where J.J. gets angry when he sees someone "touching" his sister (although it's not what he thinks) and advances on them with fury in his eyes. Very frightening.

Still, Curtis, as Sidney, can wriggle in and out of seemingly any situation, for example using info he's got to give to someone else as leverage to get his way, but only if a female "friend" of his sleeps with the person he's giving the info to. You've got to really stay focused to keep up with who's threatening who and for what reason. And Curtis is the one either threatening or promising things we're not sure he can deliver. And he's always on the phone, getting in touch with a contact that will benefit him or destroy someone else. Maybe both at the same time.

The black & white cinematography by the legendary James Wong Howe is super, capturing the hustle and bustle of Times Square, among other famous New York spots, with clarity even in the mostly dark scenes. He makes New York a major character in the movie. The jazzy score by Elmer Bernstein is another winner in his long list of triumphs. The screenplay by Clifford Odets and Ernest Lehman is sharp and snappy, moving the action along at a lightning-paced clip.

A classic film and very deserving of that status. It is such a dark film that it earns its Noir genre ranking very easily. Even with that, it's a vastly entertaining film.

Yes, watched only after the Countdown had began. If I had gotten to it, it would have definitely been Top 5 for me. Brilliant movie.

#1 The Killing List Proper #11
#2 The Asphalt Jungle List Proper #16
#3
#4 The Big Combo List Proper #52
#5 Pickup on South Street List Proper #23
#6 Kansas City Confidential List Proper #53
#7
#8 While the City Sleeps NM
#9 Lady in the Lake NM
#10 The Big Heat List Proper #17
#11 Kiss Me Deadly List Proper #13
#12 The Postman Always Rings Twice List Proper #23
#13 Murder, My Sweet List Proper #28
#14 Kiss of Death List Proper #59
#15 He Walked By Night List Proper #88
#16 The Naked City List Proper #60
#17 The Killers List Proper #22
#18 Detour List Proper #24
#19 The Glass Key NM
#20 Gun Crazy List Proper #36
#21 Impact NM
#22 This Gun For Hire List Proper #78
#23 The Narrow Margin List Proper #43
#24 Pitfall NM
#25 Crossfire List Proper #51

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"Miss Jean Louise, Mr. Arthur Radley."

#9 Sweet Smell of Success - I was introduced to Sweet Smell of Success by Citizen Rules during a Hall of Fame quite a while back, and it's one of the best films I've ever suddenly been confronted by without even knowing of it's existence beforehand. I think it's the best film I've ever seen Tony Curtis in, and Burt Lancaster is fantastic - along with all the supporting players. I'd never heard of Walter Winchell before either (Lancaster's character is based on him), but boy does he sound like one of the heel's of the century. A slimy gossip columnist who traded favours for publicity - which is where the narrative of this film comes from. The dialogue is so snappy and fabulous, and the use of actual New York streets a great choice to go with. Alexander Mackendrick had no problem at all adapting himself to American sensibilities after directing the likes of The Ladykillers at Ealing. I love, love, love, love, love this movie - the second time watching it was just as good as the first. I had it at #9 - exactly the same as the countdown has it. The reason it isn't #1 is that this field is full of incredibly great films.

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Seen : 30/92
I'd never even heard of : 47/92
Movies that had been on my radar, but I haven't seen yet : 15/92
Films from my list : 18

#9 - My #9 - Sweet Smell of Success
#10 - My #24 - Laura (1944)
#11 - My #13 - The Killing (1956)
#13 - My #4 - Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
#14 - My #10 - The Night of the Hunter (1955)
#16 - My #15 - The Asphalt Jungle (1950)
#21 - My #17 - Pickup on South Street (1953)
#24 - My #20 - Detour (1945)
#27 - My #14 - Gilda (1946)
#28 - My #11 - Murder, My Sweet (1944)
#31 - My #25 - The Lady From Shanghai (1947)
#33 - My #22 - Nightmare Alley (1947)
#36 - My #16 - Gun Crazy (1950)
#44 - My #19 - Criss Cross (1949)
#54 - My #12 - D.O.A. (1950)
#58 - My #23 - The Breaking Point (1950)
#61 - My #21 - Act of Violence (1949)
#67 - My #18 - The Hitch-Hiker (1953)

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#8 The Big Sleep (1946)

Director: Howard Hawks
Production: Warner Bros
Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, John Ridgely, Martha Vickers
468 Points, 35 Lists

Wow, surprised that one came before In a Lonely Place. I would've guessed this one would crack the Top 5.

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The Big Sleep is an all time favourite of mine. It's really entertaining and Bogart is fantastic in it. It was number 3 on my ballot.

Seen: 92/93

Love The Big Sleep, although I would say it's due for a rewatch. Haven't seen it in 10-ish years, but I do love Bogey and Bacall in it. Great dialogue, as expected and a pretty cool story. I also had it at #8.


SEEN: 33/93
MY BALLOT: 18/25

I liked The Big Sleep and as much as I like Bogie and Bacall, Martha Vickers stole the show, I wish they hadn't cut most of her screen time to give Lauren Bacall a bigger build up. I don't think Bacall really shines here like she did in To Have and Have Not. Not on my ballot but The Big Sleep deserves a place on the countdown.

The Big Sleep was #22 on the MoFo Top 100 of the 1940s.

Incorrect. Dorothy Malone has one of the greatest movie-stealing scenes in cinema history. Would have loved for Bogie to return the money, abandoned the case, and spend seventy more minutes in this bookstore...

Nah, that's incorrect. Dorothy Malone was good but it was Martha Vickers who stole the show in The Big Sleep. Don't take my word for it, take Raymond Chandler's word.

Lots of twists and turns in this classic Hawks & Bogie & Bacall film noir. It's a great example of the genre. I had it at #14.

3. The Night of the Hunter (1955)
7. Notorious (1946)
8. Sweet Smell of Success (1957)
9. Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
10. Stray Dog (1949)
11. Mildred Pierce (1945)
13. Detour (1945)
14. The Big Sleep (1946)
15. Bob le flambeur (1956)
16. The Killers (1946)
17. Rififi (1955)
18. The Killing (1956)
19. Strangers on a Train (1951)
20. Gilda (1946)
21. Pickup on South Street (1953)
22. Laura (1944)
23. White Heat (1949)
25. Nightmare Alley (1947)

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"Don't be so gloomy. After all it's not that awful. Like the fella says, in Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love - they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock."

I actually haven't seen Sweet Smell of Success. Perhaps I should add it to my watchlist. I have however seen The Big Sleep, and it was on my list at #14. I could've sworn I wrote something for it for a Hall of Fame once, but I guess not. Maybe I'm confusing it with something else. I mean, without looking I'm willing to bet it probably won an early one, and was thus unable to be nominated in any of the HoFs that have been held since I joined.

Seen: 40/93

My List: 19
01. Laura (1944) - #10
02.
03. Stranger on the Third Floor (1940) - #92
04. Murder My Sweet (1944) - #28
05. Shadow of a Doubt (1943) - #12
06. Detour (1945) - #24
07. Rebecca (1940) - #35
08. Ministry of Fear (1944) - #75
09. The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946) - #40
10.
11. This Gun for Hire (1942) - #78
12. Mildred Pierce (1945) - #15
13. Odd Man Out (1947) - #47
14. The Big Sleep (1946) - #8
15. Strangers on a Train (1951) - #18
16.
17. The Asphalt Jungle (1950) - #16
18. Night and the City (1950) - #25
19. Phantom Lady (1944) - #69
20. The Hidden Room/Obsession (1949) - DNP
21.
22. The Killing (1956) - #11
23.
24. Kiss Me Deadly (1955) - #14
25. The Stranger (1946) - #38

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2. Scarlet Street (#29)
3. Rififi (#42)
4. Mildred Pierce (#15)
6. The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (#40)
7. Body and Soul (#94)
10. Key Largo (#26)
11. The Asphalt Jungle (#16)
12. Kiss Me Deadly (#13)
13. Detective Story (#57)
14. The Killers (#22)
15. Force of Evil (#85)
16 Ride the Pink Horse (#45)
18. The Big Sleep (#8)
19. Nightmare Alley (#33)
20. The Blue Dahlia (#74)
21. The Lady from Shanghai (#31)
22. Gilda (#27)
23. The Stranger (#38)
24. Drunken Angel (#70)
25. The Letter (#72)

Well dang. Color me surprised that today's reveal was The Big Sleep - I thought it would be Top 5. As far as number of viewings, The Big Sleep is way up there for me. It has also popped on and off my Top 10 favorites of all time here on MoFo several times over the years. Does the film's plot make sense? Probably not, but every scene is just a classic sequence, chock full of quirky and fun dialogue. Lash Canino is an excellent heavy, and I love some of the lines Bogie tosses out when talking about him.

"You know what he'll do when he comes back? Beat my teeth out, then kick me in the stomach for mumbling..."

Great stuff. I love the little break in the store with the dame and rye whiskey, all the wonderful sets and locations, and everything just dripping in noir style. I had The Big Sleep at #3.

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The Big Sleep is my #14. A bit incomprehensible, given that so many aspects of it had to be sidestepped due to the code (nudity, pornography, homosexuality), and that scenes explaining things were cut to give Bacall more screen time, but the film is definitely better served by the romantic scenes between Bogie and Bacall.


Fantastic movie, and one of the most memorable endings in Noir.

The Big Sleep made the tail end of my ballot at #25. It might've made it higher had I rewatched it, but my memory of it was just good enough for it to squeeze in at the end.

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5) Night and the City
6. The Killing
7) The Night of the Hunter
8) White Heat
9) Detour
12) Shadow of a Doubt
13) Ace in the Hole
14) Gun Crazy
16) The Postman Always Rings Twice
18) The Stranger
19) Odd Man Out
21) Mildred Pierce
22) The Lost Weekend
23) Sweet Smell of Success
24) Crossfire
25) The Big Sleep

Yup you're right that The Big Sleep won the Film Noir Part 2 HoF back in 2016 so was never in an HoF that you had joined.