In this, one of the most cynical of Hollywood films, Tony Curtis plays Sidney Falco, the scum of the earth, "a man of 40 faces, not one, none too pretty, and all deceptive": he's a press agent. His job is to convince gossip columnists to run a precious sentence or two about his clients, words that can make or break a public figure. He'll do anything to get ahead; in his words, "a press agent eats a columnist's dirt and calls it manna." He is despised by everyone, and for good reason: he's a spineless louse, willing to do anything to get ahead. Even his idol, J.J. Hunsecker (Burt Lancaster) says that he would break a bat over Sidney's head if he ever touched his sister Susie (Susan Harrison); as he says this, Sidney obediently flicks a lighter to light J.J.'s cigarette. This is Sidney's story; it's not a traditional "character arc," because he starts off as swine and ends up there. There's a moment when we think he has grown a backbone and is willing to stand up for something, but just as quickly we discover that whatever convictions he holds can be easily bought. It's a great performance, one of Curtis's best, and one of the most enjoyably despicable characters in the history of movies.

J.J. is the light of the world to Sidney because he is the most influential columnist in New York and probably the United States. He rules the city like a petty king, dispensing favors in the form of lines of text in his column and punishment in the same form. A mere hint of his dislike can destroy an entertainer or politician; he has political influence as well, and he sees himself as some kind of defender of democracy against Communism. He has a serious God complex: at one point, he tells Sidney to "go now and sin no more." One cowed Senator asks him why it is that everything he says sounds like a threat; J.J. replies "It must be some mannerism, because I don't threaten." And he doesn't, as we discover in the course of the movie.

J.J. has an unhealthy fixation on his younger sister Susie. A framed glamour shot of her, sexier than a picture of a kid sister should be, gazes out as the only decoration on his desk. Susie is dating a guitar player named Steve Dallas (Marty Milner); J.J. doesn't like it because it means she's interested in a man other than her protector. He instructed Sidney to break the relationship up, but it didn't work: Steve and Susie are planning on getting married. Now Sidney is on the outs, and he will do anything to get back on J.J.'s good side, including destroying Dallas's career by smearing him as a pot-smoking Communist. He's willing to prostitute his friends, blackmail people, and break up marriages to get that elusive gift: J.J.'s approval. Over the course of the film, we discover exactly how far he's willing to go, and how short J.J.'s memory is regarding people who help him (but how long it is regarding people who he perceives to have wronged him).

Curtis's portrayal of Sidney is beautiful to watch. He plays him as a callow dog, tail wagging when J.J. shows him favor, slinking around all squinty-eyed when things aren't going well. Curtis constantly wipes his mouth with his hands, tissues, handkerchiefs; it's as if he has a bad taste in his mouth from his own filth. Even J.J., who has absolutely no qualms about crushing people who get in his way, admires the depths of his depravity: "I'd hate to take a bite out of you. You're a cookie full of arsenic."

Lancaster is monumental as J.J. Hunsecker. A cross between a crew-cut Marine drill sergeant and the Old Testament God, he is always shot from low angles, emphasizing his power and bearing. Instead of belting out his lines, though, he speaks softly, barely above a whisper; he knows people will strain to hear what he has to say. He likes to talk about morality, but it's the morality of someone who insists that everyone around him must conform to his beliefs, although he is exempt from them. His resolve when he sets out to destroy Dallas is calm, quiet, and all the more frightening because he refuses to raise his voice.

This film is an all-star game of classic Hollywood greats. Writer Ernest Lehman wrote such classics as Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, North by Northwest, and Sabrina, while Clifford Odets wrote The Country Girl, and would probably have written more if he had not been blacklisted in the 1950s for his socialist leanings (he was the inspiration for the title character of Barton Fink). Cinematographer James Wong Howe is one of the legends of the industry; he was nominated for 11 Oscars and won two. Composer Elmer Bernstein has done the scores of almost 250 movies. Director Alexander Mackendrick worked for Britain's Ealing Studios, directing such films as 1955's incredibly dark comedy The Ladykillers; after the critical and box office failure of this film, he was given lesser projects until he left directing for good in 1969. Yes, like many great films, this wonderful film was a huge bomb when it was first released.