 Sweet Smell of Success premiered in New York at Loew ’ s State in Times Square on June 27 , 1957 . Critical reaction was much more favorable . Time said that the movie was " raised to considerable dramatic heights by intense acting , taut direction ... superb camera work ... and , above all , by its whiplash dialogue " . Both it and the New York Herald included the film on their ten @-@ best lists for 1957 . The film 's reputation improved over time , with David Denby in New York magazine calling it " the most acrid , and the best " of all New York movies because it captured , " better than any film I know the atmosphere of Times Square and big @-@ city journalism " . 
