Ace in the Hole (1951)

Ace in the Hole is a movie which has been made in 1951 but after watching the movie I firmly believe that the movie still holds valid in the current mad mad Fourth Estate race.


Ace in the Hole is directed by Billy Wilder and was a flop when it opened in 1951 that too one year after Wilder had provided a real treat in 'Sunset Blvd.' in 1950.

With all the venom that Wilder spewed at Hollywood in 'Sunset Blvd.', he outdoes himself here. His teeth are clenched, his fists are up and he's out for blood but this time his target is mass media as represented by newspaperman Chuck Tatum played by Kirk Douglas (Michael Douglas's dad). The film opens as he's driving through Albuquerque, New Mexico. Tatum stops by the local paper, The Sun-Bulletin, to ask for a job.

Kirk Douglas gives the fiercest performance of his career, an amoral newspaper reporter caught in dead end Albuquerque who happens upon the story of a lifetime, and will do anything to ensure he gets the scoop.

After months of living in a rut he finally stumbles upon the perfect story. Deep within some old Indian ruins, a treasure hunter has gotten himself stuck in a cave-in (Co-relate it with our own Prince story which bombarded our TVs couple of years back). Guy in a well. That'll sell papers, right? What follows is genius, as Tatum engineers the story to be far bigger than it really is. We watch as he manipulates the rescue engineers, the local sheriff, the victim's wife, all with the intent of prolonging the incident. He wants to keep the guy underground as long as possible. This gives Tatum time to write more stories, sell them at top dollar to other newspapers, become a major celebrity in his own right and land piles of cash.


When thousands gather outside the cave and a feverish media circus begins to grow, Tatum smells victory. But of course things go downhill from here.

Wilder has always been a master of tone and he continues that trend here. The film starts very funny in a dark, sadistic sort of way, but Wilder slowly lets the humor drain from the proceedings.Wilder often considered Ace in the Hole to be his greatest film and he'll get no argument from me. As of this writing, I can think of few films that are as timely and relevant as this one. It feels fresh and contemporary, and not dated in the least.