Twelve kinds of taste
Which one are you?
Rate five things you know, from any shelf. Your archetype shows up in about a minute, and gets sharper with every log.
Rate five things you know, from any shelf. Your archetype shows up in about a minute, and gets sharper with every log.
Drama 112 min NR
Rotten Tomatoes88%Metacritic72IMDb
Rough, tough Chuck Tatum, who battered his way to the top... trampling everything in his path - men, women and morals !
An arrogant reporter exploits a story about a man trapped in a cave to revitalize his career.
Sign in to log this.
Bleak, meticulous, prestige and ironic.
No profiled raters yet.
No reviews yet. Yours would be the first word on it.
Written by TMDB members; each links to the original. Not part of Taste Buds's numbers.
Billy Wilder's Ace in the Hole remains a masterclass in cynicism, even if the world it depicts has shifted beyond recognition. Kirk Douglas delivers one of his finest performances as Chuck Tatum, a disgraced reporter who transforms a man's entrapment in a collapsed cliff dwelling into a calculated media spectacle. Wilder's direction is sharp, controlled, ruthless; the film moves with the precision of a man tightening a noose. What's aged less gracefully is the premise itself. In an era where AI generates content and the few remaining journalists on the ground lack the luxury of time Tatum exploits so coldly, the mechanics of his manipulation feel like relics from another industry entirely. Tatum arrives in Albuquerque, fired from eleven newspapers for lying, drinking, and worse. He takes a job at a small-town paper, biding his time until he can claw his way back to the big leagues. When he stumbles upon Leo Minosa, trapped in a cave while hunting for Native American artifacts, Tatum sees his ticket out. He doesn't just report the story; he choreographs it, conspiring with a corrupt sheriff to delay the rescue, ensuring the drama stretches long enough to attract national attention.
Read the whole review on TMDBIt's a good story today. Tomorrow, they'll wrap a fish in it. Ace in the Hole is directed by Billy Wilder and Wilder co-writes the screenplay with Lesser Samuels, Walter Newman and Victor Desny. It stars Kirk Douglas, Jan Sterling, Bob Arthur, Porter Hall and Richard Benedict. Music is by Hugo Friedhofer and cinematography by Charles Lang Jr. Chuck Tatum (Douglas) is a one time big-city journalist who is now stuck working for an out of the way Albuquerque newspaper. When on his way to another mundane reporting job he happens upon the chance to exploit a story about a man trapped in a cave to rekindle his career and put him back in the big league. However, the situation quickly escalates into an out-of-control media circus... Inspired by the real life Floyd Collins disaster in 1925, Ace in the Hole finds Wilder on supreme acerbic and cynical form. Flopping upon release, nobody was quite ready for Wilder to paint an uncompromising portrait of the human spirit stinking to high heaven. It now holds up as one of the finest exponents of media machinations and the human fallibility that encompasses a thirst for tragedy. Douglas leads the way with one of his finest and intensified performa
Read the whole review on TMDBChecking availability…
Closest on the same fourteen dimensions, from everything scored on Taste Buds. Other media included when they land close.
Recommendations from TMDB. Opening one adds it to Taste Buds
Answer first; then see how everyone, and your circle, split.
“Is this Billy Wilder's best work?”
Sign in to answer.
Be the first to answer.
“Is the polish hiding a lack of heart?”
Sign in to answer.
Be the first to answer.
“Is Kirk Douglas the best thing in Ace in the Hole?”
Sign in to answer.
Be the first to answer.
| Stream | |
|---|---|
| Free | |
| Rent | |
| Buy |
US availability, powered by JustWatch via TMDB. Each chip opens that service’s search for the title. Other regions on JustWatch
