Ace in the Hole

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1h 52m

Drama

List

90%

42 Reviews

Tomatometer

92%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

With flaws that outweigh his talent, reporter Chuck Tatum (Kirk Douglas) has bounced across the country from job to job. Winding up in New Mexico, Tatum gets work from the local newspaper, but finds that there's not much in the way of pressing news. However, when Tatum catches wind of a treasure hunter (Richard Benedict) trapped in a mineshaft, he turns the story into a media sensation. Soon Tatum is using unscrupulous tactics to draw out the situation, an approach that comes back to haunt him.

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Critics Consensus

Spearheaded by an excellent Kirk Douglas, Ace in the Hole is an incisive and sardonic satire that, much like its opportunistic hero, never lets moral compunction get in the way of a good story.

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Steve D

I found it melodramatic and unconvincing,

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

04/03/24

Full Review

Sean S

Billy Wilder, one of America's top five directors teaming up with Kirk Douglas at his peak. A cynical but truthful look at the tabloid news media industry. One of the very few 5/5 films.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/16/23

Full Review

bao s

Kirk as always makes it a movie worth watching.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

07/12/23

Full Review

casnien v

With flaws that outweigh his talent, reporter Chuck Tatum (Kirk Douglas) has bounced across the country from job to job. Winding up in New Mexico, Tatum gets work from the local newspaper, but finds that there's not much in the way of pressing news. However, when Tatum catches wind of a treasure hunter (Richard Benedict) trapped in a mineshaft, he turns the story into a media sensation There is something so special about Billy Wilder's films, the way that he manages to capture you in the movie from the first second of the movie, is always so special and something I can't get enough of. The screenplay written by Billy Wilder and his team is so great, there is always tension and the characters feel like they are always developing in every scene. Technically the movie looks gorgeous in black and white again, especially with the wide shots of the whole area and sets, because that set was enormous. The shots in the mountain were incredible as well and felt very challenging and psychically to shoot, the way that Billy Wilder shot it. Kirk Douglas was of course the highlight of the movie, with a performance that I will not forget soon. The rest of the cast is great as well, however they definitely don't reach the same heights that Kirk Douglas reaches. The story is gripping from the first moment and ends with an iconic shot and one that will leave you thinking about the whole movie a second time. Ace In the Hole is not my favorite work by Billy Wilder, but certainly one that is worthy in his filmography!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Stephen C

LOL, the funniest 01 hour: and 52 minutes ever recorded!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/25/23

Full Review

Shioka O

First watched in 2022, this is a classic satire still enjoyable and controversial. Kirk Douglas is excellent here in a badass tough guy.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

10/04/22

Full Review

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Billy Wilder

Director

Kirk Douglas

Charles "Chuck" Tatum

Jan Sterling

Lorraine Minosa

Porter Hall

Jacob Q. Boot

Robert Arthur

Herbie Cook

Frank Cady

Mr. Federber

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Ace in the Hole: Official Clip - Below-the-Belt Journalism

2:09

Ace in the Hole: Official Clip - We've Got an Ace in the Hole

1:58

Ace in the Hole: Official Clip - Small Town Blues

2:13

Ace in the Hole: Official Clip - Rattlesnake Hunt

1:50

Ace in the Hole: Official Clip - Finding Leo

2:13

Ace in the Hole: Official Clip - I Know Newspapers Backward, Forward and Sideways

2:13

Ace in the Hole: Official Clip - A Big Human Interest Ending

2:12

Ace in the Hole: Official Clip - You Like Those Rocks Just as Much as I Do

2:10

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Know Your Critic: Angelica Jade Bastién, Critic at Vulture/New York Magazine

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Adam Nayman

The Ringer

Ace in the Hole is as vicious and irreverent as classic Hollywood ever got, bowing to nobody in its righteous cynicism.

Apr 15, 2019

Full Review

Roger Ebert

RogerEbert.com

In a lesser movie, Tatum would share our sympathy for the pathetic man. Here, he's on a parabola in that direction but wants it to intersect with the moment of his own greatest fame.

Rated: 4/4

Feb 22, 2019

Full Review

Ruthe Stein

San Francisco Chronicle

Ace in the Hole is a revelation, as timely now as when it was made.

Aug 29, 2014

Full Review

Vernon Young

Arizona Quarterly

In Ace in the Hole aesthetics would have been served by intelligence.

Jan 22, 2024

Full Review

Josh Larsen

LarsenOnFilm

A fairly clear-cut moral parable...

Rated: 3.5/4

Jan 14, 2024

Full Review

Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

Wilder and company offer up a biting exploration of unscrupulous predatory journalism and the insensitive lust to get ahead and be on top.

Rated: 4.5/5

Aug 19, 2022

Full Review

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Synopsis

With flaws that outweigh his talent, reporter Chuck Tatum (Kirk Douglas) has bounced across the country from job to job. Winding up in New Mexico, Tatum gets work from the local newspaper, but finds that there's not much in the way of pressing news. However, when Tatum catches wind of a treasure hunter (Richard Benedict) trapped in a mineshaft, he turns the story into a media sensation. Soon Tatum is using unscrupulous tactics to draw out the situation, an approach that comes back to haunt him.

Director: Billy Wilder
Screenwriter: Walter Newman, Lesser Samuels, Billy Wilder
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Paramount Pictures
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 29, 1951, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 1, 2013
Runtime: 1h 52m

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