Ace in the Hole Reviews

An enduring classic from director Billy Wilder (The Apartment, Some Like It Hot), 1951's Ace in the Hole sparkles with irresistible wit from the very first scene and never lets up. An intelligent, acerbic satire that looks scarily prophetic and increasingly relevant in the 21st Century, Ace in the Hole ruthlessly skewers journalistic ethics and media sensationalism while exploring mankind's innate fascination with the lurid. These heady, controversial themes ended Wilder's winning streak with Paramount Pictures, foundering at the box office upon its release and drawing the ire of journalists and critics of the period. It took several decades before it received critical reappraisal, after which it deservedly developed into an iconic film with an esteemed reputation. Time has not only been kind to Ace in the Hole - it has actually elevated Wilder's film. With its boldly uncompromising portrayal of human nature at its ugliest and worst, Ace in the Hole is one of the most important and essential American movies of the 1950s.


Self-centred newspaper report Chuck Tatum (Kirk Douglas) has been fired by eleven major newspapers for reasons ranging from libel lawsuits to drinking alcohol and having an affair with a publisher's wife. Broke and unemployed, Chuck winds up in Albuquerque, where he bullies his way into a job at the tiny Albuquerque Sun-Bulletin newspaper run by Mr. Boot (Porter Hall). It's not a job that Chuck actually wants - he merely plans to find a big story, make it a national sensation, and use it to get a position at another big-city newspaper. While on an assignment to cover a rattlesnake hunt, Chuck and the newspaper's young photographer, Herbie (Robert Arthur), stumble upon another story: a local man named Leo (Richard Benedict) is trapped in a cave. The situation is somewhat unremarkable, however, and the engineering team can have him out within a day, but Chuck wants to extend the dilemma for maximum media coverage, conspiring with the Sheriff (Ray Teal) to hatch an alternative rescue operation that will last several days. Chuck's exaggerated news coverage triggers a frenzy of interest, with thousands of onlookers swarming the area, providing a boom for the local businesses. One such business is operated by Leo's wife, Lorraine (Jan Sterling), who is desperate to leave Leo but stays in town to reap the financial rewards of the media circus.

Ace in the Hole is loosely based on real events: in 1925, Floyd Collins was trapped in a Kentucky cave. An intense flurry of interest ensued, and newspaper reporter William Burke Miller received a Pulitzer Prize for covering the event, during which he participated in rescue efforts and had direct contact with Collins. Unfortunately, Collins did not survive the ordeal. Chuck knowingly references the Collins story after learning about Leo while talking to Herbie, further underscoring his conscious lack of morality in his hunger for a sensationalised human interest story. Mr. Boot's fundamental philosophy at the Albuquerque Sun-Bulletin is "Tell The Truth," putting him at odds with Chuck's desire to sell millions of papers by reporting a manipulated version of the truth, especially when he starts writing daily stories about Leo. Many critics in the 1950s found it preposterous that Chuck could use shady tactics to essentially call the shots on the rescue operation while keeping the story to himself, but it's important to approach Ace in the Hole as a satire, and the execution is sufficiently believable considering Chuck's unmatched gift of the gab.


Through a combination of sharp dialogue and note-perfect performances, Ace in the Hole does not feel like homework, nor is it the type of classic film you can only admire rather than love or enjoy. It's unfailingly engaging throughout, which is also a testament to the superb technical presentation that feels more dynamic than the stilted or static movies of this era. Most note-worthy is Charles Lang's cinematography, which is distinctly noir-esque. The compositions are consistently captivating, and Lang's use of lighting and shadows make the sets feel like authentic locations, rather than internal soundstages. This is particularly beneficial for the underground sequences; the cave where Leo is trapped looks incredibly convincing. It also helps that the main external set was constructed in an outdoor location, and it looks incredibly elaborate - it was actually the largest non-combat set ever built at the time. Admittedly, the rear projection techniques throughout Ace in the Hole do look dated in the 21st Century, particularly in vehicles or, in one case, inside the press tent near the cave. However, the illusion is convincing enough, and the minor technical shortcomings do nothing to tarnish Wilder's spellbinding vision.

As the sneaky, fast-talking, manipulative Chuck Tatum, Kirk Douglas delivers a first-rate performance and superbly handles all of the character's intricacies. His spiel towards Mr. Boot at the beginning of the movie makes you believe he can talk himself into gaining a job on the spot, and Douglas does not shy away from the darker aspects of the role, including a growing alcohol dependency or a shocking moment of Chuck slapping Lorraine. There's scarcely a dud performance in sight, with Richard Benedict also making a fantastic impression as Leo. Benedict comes across as naive and somewhat pathetic while talking to Chuck, as he believes that everyone actually cares about him and he trusts the newspaperman implicitly.


Wilder is renowned for being an astute social critic, using his films to critique American culture and shine a light on unsavoury parts of society. With Ace in the Hole (the title of which Paramount secretly changed to The Big Carnival without Wilder's permission), Wilder and co-writers Walter Newman and Lesser Samuels use a real-life story to explore the shamelessness and sordidness associated with major human interest stories, and the flagrant lack of humanity exercised by journalists to gain (or manipulate) big scoops for career advancement. Wilder also eschews a happy ending, with the film closing on a powerfully tragic and depressing note that remains true to the director's vision. Ace in the Hole is one of Wilder's defining masterpieces, which is a huge call considering his iconic body of work.

10/10

When speaking of the great old time directors Billy Wilder is often one of the first names thrown out there. After all, he created some of the most famous and most widely renowned films of Hollywood's bygone era - from Some Like it Hot, to Double Indemnity and, even, to something like The Apartment. Rarely mentioned among those classics is the 1951 drama Ace in the Hole.

Ace in the Hole tells the story of a down on his luck yet still amazingly egotistic journalist Charles Tatum (played by Kirk Douglas) who stumbles into small town Albuquerque looking for a second (or maybe its third) chance to prove his lack of journalistic integrity. Promising to increase circulation through his sensationalistic articles - even if he has to manufacture the news himself - he is hired by the paper's straight laced editor.

The real action kicks off when Tatum stumbles into the story of a lifetime. He encounters Leo Minosa, a man trapped in an unfortunate cave-in and, with the help of that man's rather disinterested wife (Jan Sterling), exploits the situation for all its worth. This is where Ace in the Hole truly shines. Wilder begins with a rather simple situation but, through a rather disturbing chain of events, turns that situation into a full blown circus complete with ever increasing admission prices.

Wilder is almost prescient in the world he creates. We, in the modern world, tend not to look twice when seven media outlets converge on the site of a tragedy. In that way Ace in the Hole is perhaps more resonant today then when it was originally released. It takes a now rather commonplace occurrence and forces the viewer to thoroughly examine their own perspective on the media. By telling the Minosa story through the journalist's lens Wilder is able to personalize what is now seen as an impersonal art. Wilder creates a disturbing situation in which all of the societal elements that should be helping Minosa achieve freedom (from law enforcement to local politicians), instead milk his entrapment for all its worth.

It helps that Douglas' portrayal of Tatum is mostly fantastic. As Tatum realizes just how rotten his actions are (not only is he purposely prolonging the extraction of Minosa but he is also romancing his wife) his inner shame bubbles up until it boils over in a frenetic ending segment. There are elements of his character that are rather unbelievable (the final denouement, while a showcase of impressive acting, seems a bit rushed) but Douglas has the rare ability to grab the watcher by the neck and say take in my character, no matter how repulsive he can be. Unfortunately the side characters are mostly forgettable with rather boring character arcs and average acting performances but its hard to criticize the film for that when it is almost wholly focused on Douglas' turn as Tatum.

The romantic elements also feel rather tacked on, but I think its a testament to Wilder's skill that the relationship between Tatum and Minosa's wife comes off as repugnant. Despite the little screen time devoted to their coupling it is still a memorable part of the story and it still carries a hefty emotional impact. The ending as well feels a bit rushed and conventional - as if Wilder had a direction he wanted to take but was forced down a different path due to stringent Hollywood morality codes.

However, even with those drawbacks, Ace in the Hole is a wonderfully written and deep expose of the seedier side of our media driven world and is filled with singular, memorable moments that define it as an unsung classic. Sticking out in my mind is an effective series of establishing shots that show a filled to the brim ferris-wheel rotating slowly, Minosa's mountainous prison looming in the background and then a group of workmen, taking a lunch break on top of the mountain, gazing out in amazement at the chaotic carnival like scene unfolding below. The story Wilder tells is rather simple, but it is moments like these that make it unforgettable.

This is one of my favourite Billy Wilder movies. Kirk Douglas was superb as cynical newspaper reporter Chuck Tatum and Jan Sterling was just magnificent as unfaithful wife Lorraine Minosa. The impressive supporting cast includes Ray Teal, Porter Hall, Bob Arthur and Richard Benedict. Charles "Chuck" Tatum (Kirk Douglas) is a down on his luck unscrupulous New York reporter fired from various papers for his indiscretions. He is forced to take a job on a small Albuquerque newspaper as the New York papers will no longer employ him. After a year on the paper and bored with his routine assignments he dreams of the day he will eventually make a name for himself with the "big story". Out with a younger reporter (Bob Arthur) one day to cover a local story about rattlesnakes he discovers that a man named Leo Minosa (Richard Benedict) is trapped alive in an old Indian mine. He jumps in and takes over the rescue mission but deliberately delays the attempts to get the man out as he can see the opportunity to make a name for himself by feeding stories about the trapped man to the major newspapers. Tatum enlists the help of a crooked sheriff (Ray Teal) to give him exclusive access to the mine and thereby keeping all the other reporters out. Leo's disloyal wife Lorraine (glamorous Jan Sterling) wants to leave but Tatum forces her to stay to run the diner which is now packed out with curious onlookers and making money. When the film was released in America it received bad reviews and lost money. Paramount, without Billy Wilder's permission, changed the title to "The Big Carnival" hoping to increase the box office take but it didn't work. I have always thought this was a mistake as "Ace in the Hole" is a far better title in my opinion.
Favourite lines:
Kirk Douglas (to Porter Hall): "I've done a lot of lying in my time. I've lied to men who wear belts. I've lied to men who wear suspenders. But I'd never be so stupid as to lie to a man who wears both belt and suspenders".
Jan Sterling (to Douglas): "I've met a lot of hard boiled eggs in my time, but you - you're 20 minutes!".
Douglas (to Hall): "I'm on my way back to the top, and if it takes a deal with a crooked sheriff that's alright with me!".
Sterling (to Douglas): "I don't pray. Kneeling bags my nylons".
Douglas (to Hall): "How'd you like to make a thousand dollars a day, Mr Boot? I'm a thousand dollar a day newspaper man. You can have me for nothing!".