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Ace in the Hole
1951
A cave collapse in New Mexico traps a man, and all eyes turn toward the tragedy, including those of Charles "Chuck" Tatum (Kirk Douglas), a washed-up newspaper reporter who sees the incident as a ticket back to his former days at the top of the journalism heap. As the media circus begins to swirl around the trapped man's plight,.. Read more
| Starring | Kirk Douglas, Jan Sterling, Porter Hall, Frank Cady |
|---|---|
| Director | Billy Wilder |
| Genres | Drama |
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Ace in the Hole
A cave collapse in New Mexico traps a man, and all eyes turn toward the tragedy, including those of Charles "Chuck" Tatum (Kirk Douglas), a washed-up newspaper reporter who sees the incident as a ticket back to his former days at the top of the journalism heap. As the media circus begins to swirl around the trapped man's plight, Tatum takes command of the situation, embellishing the unfolding drama and prolonging the rescue effort - while feeding stories to the nation's reporters clamoring to cover the event. He's become the self-anointed mastermind behind what soon becomes a national media sensation - and he's desperately determined to milk it for all it is worth. Celebrated director Billy Wilder (Sunset Boulevard, Stalag 17, The Apartment) mixes gritty cynicism with a superb cast - Douglas, Jan Sterling (The High and the Mighty), Robert Arthur (Just For You), Frank Cady (The Bad Seed) - in this powerful, fascinating study of the dark side of the human soul.
| Starring | Kirk Douglas, Jan Sterling, Porter Hall, Frank Cady, Richard Benedict, Ray Teal, Lewis Martin, John Berkes, Frances Dominguez, Robert Arthur |
|---|---|
| Director | Billy Wilder |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 51 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama |
| Released | DVD: not available Production year: 1951 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (2)
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An incisive, compelling melodrama taking a sour look at the American scene; one of its director's masterworks, in which he was in a serious mood, exposing the sensationalism of the tabloid press.
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Wilder ran into charges of bad taste with this acid tale of reporter Chuck Tatum (Douglas), resentfully stagnating in a... read more on Time Out
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Most helpful member's review
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5 out of 5 people found this review helpful
GREAT FILM, BUT ...
This is one of the high points of the career of the inimitable Billy Wilder. Sadly it is NOT on DVD, so if you've come here hoping to finally get your hands on a pristine digital edition of this neglected gem, you're going to be very disappointed ... sorry!
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Most recent members' review
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2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
Surpassingly nasty
Although Billy Wilder is probably best remembered for his comedies ('Some like it hot'; 'The apartment', etc), he also had a knack for serious films as well. This may be the most corruscating and unpleasant hundred minutes he ever made. The story of a down-on-his-luck reporter (career-best Kirk Douglas) determined to do anything to get himself back on top again is like living with a bag of disease-ridden rattlesnakes, but it's mighty effective for all that: genuine car-crash stuff, from which it's impossible to take one's eyes. If it has one fault, it is only that Wilder takes such delight in rubbing our noses in the cynicism and duplicity of the media, that he forgets to provide any shading. Otherwise, this is one film you won't forget.
At the time of writing (September 07) this had just been released by Criterion on an excellent Region 1 disc, so it should be out here soon. -
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