Sweet Smell of Success is a very dark 1957 Film Noir. It recieved poor audience reactions when it was first screened, but it is critically acclaimed as a great film today. J.J. Hunsecker is number 35 of the AFI's list of the top 50 movie villains of all time, played acerbically and ruthlessly by Burt Lancaster. J.J. Hunsecker is a ruthlessly powerful columnist who doesn't like his sister's new boyfriend Steve, a jazz guitarist. He hires Sidney Falco (Tony Curtis) to do the dirty work of breaking the two apart in the age when everyone suspected a Red under every bed.