It's 1957. JJ Hunsecker sits at his desk, typing up his next column. The typewriter is loud, clack clack clack, echoing across the walls of his office. He has a cigarette in his mouth. The room is thick with smoke. On the side of his desk is a large framed portrait of his nineteen year old sister, Susie Hunsecker. The phone rings. Probably his secretary, Mary. He ignores it.