Film Snail

Ace in the Hole
Ace in the Hole

7.8

Ace in the Hole

NR·1951·111m

Summary

An arrogant reporter exploits a story about a man trapped in a cave to revitalize his career.

Cast

Kirk Douglas

Kirk Douglas

Charles Tatum

Jan Sterling

Jan Sterling

Lorraine

Robert Arthur

Robert Arthur

Herbie Cook

Porter Hall

Porter Hall

Jacob Q. Boot

Frank Cady

Frank Cady

Mr. Federber

Richard Benedict

Richard Benedict

Leo Minosa

Ray Teal

Ray Teal

Sheriff

Lewis Martin

Lewis Martin

McCardle

John Berkes

John Berkes

Papa Minosa

Frances Dominguez

Mama Minosa

Gene Evans

Gene Evans

Deputy Sheriff

Frank Jaquet

Smollett

Harry Harvey

Harry Harvey

Dr. Hilton

Bob Bumpas

Radio Announcer

Geraldine Hall

Mrs. Federber

Richard Gaines

Richard Gaines

Nagel

Oscar Belinda

Barker (uncredited)

Martin Bendleton

Barker (uncredited)

Basil Chester

Indian (uncredited)

Ken Christy

Jessop (uncredited)

Stewart Kirk Clawson

Federber Boy (uncredited)

Iron Eyes Cody

Iron Eyes Cody

Indian Copy Boy (uncredited)

Francisco Day

Photographer (uncredited)

Lester Dorr

Lester Dorr

Father Diego (uncredited)

Claire Du Brey

Claire Du Brey

Spinster (uncredited)

Edith Evanson

Edith Evanson

Miss Deverich (uncredited)

William Fawcett

William Fawcett

Sad-Faced Man (uncredited)

John Stuart Fulton

Boy (uncredited)

Joe Gray

Minor Role (uncredited)

Charles Griffin

Mr. Wendel (uncredited)

Larry Hogan

Television Announcer (uncredited)

Frank Keith

Fireman (uncredited)

Bob Kortman

Bob Kortman

Digger (uncredited)

Martha Maryman

Woman (uncredited)

Stanley McKay

Reporter (uncredited)

Joe J. Merrill

Digger (uncredited)

Paul D. Merrill

Federber Boy (uncredited)

Lee Miller

Lee Miller

Mover (uncredited)

Ralph Moody

Ralph Moody

Kusac - Miner (uncredited)

Bert Moorhouse

Josh Morgan (uncredited)

William H. O'Brien

William H. O'Brien

Customer at Minosa's (uncredited)

Frank Andrew Parker

Reporter (uncredited)

Martin Pendleton

Barker (uncredited)

William N. Peters

Photographer (uncredited)

Timothy Carey

Timothy Carey

Construction Worker (uncredited)

Bill Ramsey

Bill Ramsey

Vocalist (uncredited)

Jack Roberts

Newspaperman (uncredited)

Bill Sheehan

Man (uncredited)

Bert Stevens

Bert Stevens

Reporter (uncredited)

John 'Bub' Sweeney

Reporter (uncredited)

Rythem Wranglers

Band (uncredited)

Crew

Director, Writer

Billy Wilder

Writer

Walter Newman

Writer

Lesser Samuels

Reviews

John Chard

John Chard

February 9, 2020

9

It's a good story today. Tomorrow, they'll wrap a fish in it.

Ace in the Hole is directed by Billy Wilder and Wilder co-writes the screenplay with Lesser Samuels, Walter Newman and Victor Desny. It stars Kirk Douglas, Jan Sterling, Bob Arthur, Porter Hall and Richard Benedict. Music is by Hugo Friedhofer and cinematography by Charles Lang Jr.

Chuck Tatum (Douglas) is a one time big-city journalist who is now stuck working for an out of the way Albuquerque newspaper. When on his way to another mundane reporting job he happens upon the chance to exploit a story about a man trapped in a cave to rekindle his career and put him back in the big league. However, the situation quickly escalates into an out-of-control media circus...

Inspired by the real life Floyd Collins disaster in 1925, Ace in the Hole finds Wilder on supreme acerbic and cynical form. Flopping upon release, nobody was quite ready for Wilder to paint an uncompromising portrait of the human spirit stinking to high heaven. It now holds up as one of the finest exponents of media machinations and the human fallibility that encompasses a thirst for tragedy.

Douglas leads the way with one of his finest and intensified performances, filling Chuck Tatum with a reprehensible attitude to media ladder climbing. When one witnesses the harrowing sequences as Tatum talks to the trapped Leo Minosa (Benedict tugs the heart strings), telling him it's going to be alright, we feel complicit in knowing just exactly what is going on up top. Leo adores his wife Lorraine (Sterling a splendidly subtle bitch perf hiding hollow turmoil), but she has wanted out for some time, but under Chatum's prompting she sticks around to make money on her husbands trapped suffering.

Pretty soon this one store tin-pot town is booming, tills are ringing and the papers are selling big time, the coupling of Tatum and Lorraine is a match made in hell. Dialogue is in true noir fashion often sharp and biting, even with some of Wilder's customary humour deftly tucked away. As the exploitation of the situation reaches fever pitch, and the hypocrisy of the human condition is laid bare, "Ace in the Hole" proves itself to be a pitiless story that is a compelling journey for the viewers invested in the darker shades of what Wilder was fronting. A big flip-flop for a main character's behaviour at film's end seems a little out of place, given what has preceded it, but the ending is straight out of noirville and ensures the pic is a near masterpiece from a true master of his craft. 9/10

Media

Status:

Released

Original Language:

English

Budget:

$1,821,052.00

Revenue:

$1,300,000.00

Keywords

rescue
sheriff
journalism
new mexico
satire
film noir
reporter
black and white
trapped
desert
newspaper man