Ace in the Hole (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

This film was truly revolutionary for its time and so was Billy Wilder. Wilder approached subjects that no other director would touch and turned them into masterpieces. Ace in the Hole is a scathing review of the press and some peoples' love of sensationalist news. Kirk Douglas turns in one of his best performances ever and one that would define his career as a maverick actor.Film quality of the Criterion Blu-Ray is great for its age, but the extras really set it apart. I never realized how many modern directors love and respect Wilder's work. It's refreshing to see.

A superb movie, encapsulating Wilder's trademark cynicism.I have no wish to plot spoil, but most of the characters are disgracefully self-serving. The underlying tragedy serves merely as a vehicle for them to achieve their own ends. The (very few) characters who are genuinely concerned about the victim generate great sympathy.The narrative is very clever, the cinematography first rate and the acting performances equally so.Not that this impacted my 5* evaluation, but there are two quite wonderful Billy Wilder interviews/documentaries on the accompanying disc.

Billy Wilder made Ace In The Hole as a commentary about the media. Michael Douglas arrives in Albuquerque talking about making himself famous off of a big story and resenting having to work in a small town. As he tells a young reporter sensationalism is what he’s looking for. He finally thinks he’s gotten his break when he comes across a man stuck in a cave. Douglas exploits it for everything it’s worth. This used to be called Yellow Journalism in America where media outlets would manipulate stories to sell papers the truth be damned. Some still do that today so Ace In The Hole still has relevance. As for Douglas he brings his usual intensity. He’s got that grim determination that you can see in his face.

Who knew that the issues depicted in this film, vis a vis journalistic integrity ,would be our reality nearly 50 years later. The perfidy and mendacity of the media, both print and broadcast, is a national disgrace. It's not about truth or justice...it's about money,access and ratings...the public be damned.Kirk Douglas gives one of his greatest performances. The rest of the cast, particularly Jan Sterling, are his match. Along with "A Face in the Crowd, must see films for those of us who mourn the death of journalism and political integrity in the United States of America.

Billy Wilder's scathing indictment of sensational journalism. Unclear if this is or isn't film noir. There is a femme fatale, but it's Kirk Douglas's arrogant ambitious reporter, and the crowds of wide-eyed American idiots who are the real killers here.

The late and Great Kirk Douglas was one of the greatest actor's of his generation. He also out lived many of his contemporaries as well. Just went I thought I had seen at least a dozen of his film's..? well here I go again with another juicy role. I like the fact that a majority of the film. Was shot on location and the Black/White gave the movie that extra edginess ,.You can see where his legendary son actor/Producer Micheal Douglas inherited not only his good look's..but his unique trait's for creating a diverse line of character's in his movies as well. Can you imagine being trapped in a cave.. knowing that you may NEVER have the chance to see civilization ..ever again..? In this movie we get to see .. how people can manipulate a tragedy for their own benefit.. from the reporter's,, editor's and the public .. let's not forget about the sneaky sheriff ..! Great movie...

Although I haven't seen this film in over a half century I always remembered The Ace in the Hole as not only one of my all time favorite films but as one of Kirk Douglas' best films.Douglas delivers a true performance in every sense of the word as he superbly portrays the self-discovery of a once glorified reporter fallen from grace. In the end this reporter finally realized his own demon which has resided within his soul throughout his life. For the first time this ego driven reporter understands how all along it was he himself who is the true ugly in life and not those he reported on.In the end crumbled after coming face to face with his own truth and learning he can never run from the monster he would forever see in the mirror.

THE BRILLIANT BILLY WILDER WAS A MULTI-FACETEDDIRECTOR. EVEN THOUGH IT WAS NOT A COMMERCIALSUCCESS AT THE TIME, IT IS ON SOME "BEST MOVIES OFALL TIME" LIST AND A "MUST SEE MOVIE" LIST.THIS FILM REMINDED ME OF 2 OTHER MOVIES:HIGH NOON AND A FACE IN THE CROWD,FOR THE WAY THEY REVEAL SOME TRUTHS ABOUTHUMAN NATURE. SOMETIMES IT IS TOO LATE TOSEEK REDEMPTION.KIRK DOUGLAS SHOULD HAVE WON AN ACADEMYAWARD FOR HIS PERFORMANCE.

When Billy Wilder, the Director of this classic movie, was once asked why he thought the film had been a commercial flop he answered "The American public wanted sugar, I gave them vinegar". The American public's sweet tooth deprived them of the chance to see a true classic. This is just the kind of movie that those who criticise Hollywood think it is incapable of producing, and yet here is a movie directed by one of its top directors and starring one of its top stars that looks directly into the dark soul of the media, the American public and the American democratic system, no wonder America found it difficult to cope with this movie.The plot involves Kirk Douglas as Chuck Tattum a journalist whose drinking and womanising has had him kicked off the country's top newspapers. He finds himself in Albuquerque working on the local paper, trying to convince everyone they are in the presence of greatness. One day, when sent out to cover a rattlesnake safari, he stumbles across a man trapped down some ancient mine workings. He quickly writes a story with a headline about a man trapped by an ancient curse and watches as it captures the public imagination and they start flooding in to see it for themselves. But when he becomes aware that the rescue will only take a day he uses the local sheriff, who he convinces he can get re-elected in the upcoming election, to convince the rescuers to go in the long way. It will take a week but will guarantee Tatum the story, and perhaps the Pulitzer, he feels he deserves. And here Wilders cynicism really kicks in. Everyone wants their bit of the action, Tatum wants his job back on one of the top newspapers, the sheriff wants his re-election, the trapped mans wife sees it as a way out of a mundane loveless marriage and a way to make money, and the American public, they want their drama with a nice happy ending.There is no flab on this film, every scene moves at a pace. Douglas might be the only 'star' but everyone plays their part especially Jan Sterling as the want away wife and Ray Teal as the slimy crooked sheriff. But this of course is Douglas' film. He is at the centre of nearly every scene. Some people think his performance is bit over the top, and of course he was never the most subtle of actors, but the role requires that, Tatum is not the most subtle of characters, you find it hard to take your eyes of him, no matter how low he is prepared to go. Of course the film is littered with Wilders wonderful dialogue, the best line coming from the trapped mans wife after she has overheard the sheriff and Tatum convince the rescuer to take the long route. She follows Tatum to his room and says"I've met some hard boiled eggs in my time, but you, you're twenty minutes". Genius.Perhaps it's failure at the time was due to people feeling it was all a bit far fetched. But now we know different,now we know how low the press can be prepared to go to get its stories, and it was probably so back in 1951. If you like cracking dialogue, if you like to be reminded that Hollywood has always produced great movies, if you like your movies to look into the dark places that many are unwilling to go, and you prefer a bit of vinegar to sugar, then this is the film for you.

The previous reviewers have pretty much nailed it, singing the praises of this unsung masterpiece, that ranks alongside the greatest journalism film: ‘The Front Page’/’His Girl Friday’ and even ranks high as a Film Noir (in the rural Western sub genre category), though it falls short of ‘Double Indemnity’, arguably the greatest film noir ever made.Echoes of ‘The Postman Always Rings Twice’ – a woman trying to escape from a loveless marriage – though it neatly side-steps the illicit romance angle, which has become something of a cliche.Jan Sterling is great in the ‘Gloria Graham’ femme fatale role, gifted with some superb lines: “I don’t like to kneel, it snags my nylons.”, “I’ve met plenty of hard boiled guys but you’re twenty minutes.”If I have one, minor quibble -spoiler alert! – after Douglas is stabbed he rushes around with the same vitality as before, occasionally remembering to clutch his stomach, but perhaps he’s running on adrenalin.This superb dual format edition comes with excellent extras, including a hour long interview film with Wilder and a thirty minute analysis by Neil Sinyard which is a model of its kind.Everyone loves Wilder’s hits, ‘Some Like it Hot’ and ‘Sunset Boulevard’ but his ‘misses’, like this, are possibly even more brilliant. To be cherished.

This is a Billy Wilder film which has little or no comic element. Rather it is a serious examination of 1950's newspaper journalism in all it's cynicism and holds up remarkably well 65 years later.Kirk Douglas gives a somewhat larger than life portrayal of the down on his luck reporter looking for a story that will be his ticket back to the big time, though his portrayal is not sympathetic thus it is hard for the audience to care about his character.The filming is in black and white but has a sharpness and vibrancy about it and all the supporting performances are excellent.My dual edition copy come with a separate disc which features a 60 minute documentary on Mr Wilder and that is a great watch in itself.All in all a great edition to my film library.

‘Ace in the Hole’ (or ‘The Big Carnival’ as it was called in the United States) is one of Billy Wilder’s most bitingly-effective satirical films. A desperate reporter (played by Kirk Douglas) stumbles onto a potentially-lucrative human-interest story - a man trapped in a remote cave - and does all he can to exploit the situation to further his own career.The film is really cleverly staged, while the black-and-white cinematography (by Charles Lang Jnr.) looks especially good on this ‘Masters of Cinema’ blu-ray. As usual with these very fine ‘dual editions’, there’s a booklet of notes, plus an hour-long documentary profile of Wilder himself.

A Billy Wilder classic with Kirk Douglas at the height of his powers. Not popular at the time it came out,probably because it was too gritty and realistic in showing the seamier side of human nature.Douglas, as a fading journalist, exploits the situation of a man trapped in a cave and keeps him there for his own selfish ends instead of trying to help others to get him out.Wider was a Master of Cinema and this is one of his most important films.