Ace in the Hole
Ace in the Hole (1951, Billy Wilder)
Ace in the Hole is a less well-known movie by Billy Wilder, which was a complete flop at the box office when it opened in 1951.
Kirk Douglas plays Charlie Tatum, a former big city reporter, who is something of a trouble-maker and keeps getting fired from all the big papers for various reasons. He ends up in Albuquerque, working for a small local paper, when he stumbles upon a story which might prove to be his big break. A local man is stuck under tons of rubble in a mountain, and Charlie exploits him by making sure he stays in there for as long as it takes Charlie to make a decent living out of the story. But there are dire consequences.
As I wrote my review for Dog Day Afternoon, I realised that I used words and phrases like “media circus”, “frustrated”, and “sweaty”. All those apply here too. Actually, sweaty is an understatement — grimy and seedy would be more appropriate for this small town and some of the corrupt people (including the sheriff) who live there.
Anyway, Charlie’s story soon takes on a life of its own, as people from all over the country stop by to check it out. Reporters from the big city papers come too. It’s a media circus all right. But just in case the audience doesn’t get this, Wilder has an actual circus show up. Yep, you heard me.
Douglas is good as Tatum, and very intense. His smarmy ways work well for this jaded reporter who only looks out for himself. The supporting cast is decent too, but this is really Tatum’s show all the way.
The movie lost me a little in the final reel, when things really spiral out of control, but it has a satisfying ending which mostly made up for it.
Getting back to what I wrote at the start, it’s no wonder audiences didn’t take to this movie in the 50s. It’s bleak, it’s cynical, and it leaves you totally hollow inside. Still, this was a well-crafted piece of noir cinema, and one I don’t think deserves to disappear into the bottom of Wilder’s fine filmography.
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Tuesday, 1 July 2008 at 16:51
I was amazed at how cynical the movie was. It kept amazing me that more and more people arrived. I am glad I live in a time where the Media doesn’t overanalyze and exagerate stories or blow them all out of proportion but keep low key in their reporting of the truth.