Synopsis
An arrogant reporter exploits a story about a man trapped in a cave to revitalize his career.
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Cast
- Kirk DouglasChuck Tatum
- Jan SterlingLorraine Minosa
- Robert ArthurHerbie Cook
- Porter HallJacob Q. Boot
- Frank CadyMr. Federber
- Richard BenedictLeo Minosa
- Ray TealSheriff Gus Kretzer
- Lewis MartinMcCardle
- John BerkesPapa Minosa
- Frances DominguezMama Minosa
Recommendations
- 100
TV Guide Magazine
A searing example of writer-director Billy Wilder at his most brilliantly misanthropic. An uncompromising portrait of human nature at its worst, the film was so far ahead of its time in its depiction of a media circus and the public's appetite for tragedy that it was a commercial disaster when first released, but now stands as one of the great American films of the 1950s. - 100
Christian Science Monitor
It's dark, funny, ferocious, and vintage Wilder all the way. - 80
The New York Times
Ace in the Hole is an acquired taste -- and an unforgettable one. - 80
Variety
Billy Wilder's direction captures the feel of morbid expectancy that always comes out in the curious that flock to scenes of tragedy. - 50
Village Voice
Ace in the Hole is a movie about the fascination of disaster that is itself a fascinating disaster. - 40
Film Threat
So ham-handed and relentlessly overbaked that it is easy to see why audiences initially stayed away from it. Just when and how did anyone come to see this as a classic?
