Click here to copy URL

Ace in the Hole

Ace in the Hole (AKA The Big Carnival)

1951

Billy Wilder

Kirk Douglas, Jan Sterling, Robert Arthur, Porter Hall ...

8.0

9,691

Drama. Film noir A frustrated former big-city journalist now stuck working for an Albuquerque newspaper exploits a story about a man trapped in a cave to re-jump start his career, but the situation quickly escalates into an out-of-control circus. Charles Tatum, a down-on-his-luck reporter, takes a job with a small New Mexico newspaper. The job is pretty boring until he finds a man trapped in a mine. He jumps at the chance to make a name for himself by ... [+]

	Media	Author	Review
		Roger Ebert rogerebert.com	"There's not a wasted shot in Wilder's film (...) And notice how no time is wasted with needless exposition (...) It still has all its power (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 4)"
		Philip French The Guardian	"A memorable performance by Kirk Douglas (...) [It] is morally gripping and unsentimental in its refusal to give the audience an easy point of sympathetic identification."
		Bosley Crowther The New York Times	"Wilder has given us a masterly film (...) But for all its revelation of scene and character, 'Ace in the Hole' is badly weakened by a poorly constructed plot"
		Ed Gonzalez Slant	"[It] allowed Wilder to question the very nature of human interest stories and the twisted relationship between the American media and its public (...) 'Ace in the Hole' feels more relevant than ever (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 4)"
		Nathan Rabin AV Club	"'Hole' is funny throughout, but as the film heads into noir tragedy, the laughs grow increasingly guilty, uncomfortable, and rare (...) The film's tough-as-nails evisceration of the media still feels bracing and prescient."
		Tom Milne Time Out	"As a diatribe against all that is worst in human nature, it has moments dipped in pure vitriol"
		David Parkinson Empire	"A period piece which remains resonant with a chilling turn from Douglas (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"
		Variety	"The performances are fine (...) Billy Wilder’s direction captures the feel of morbid expectancy that always comes out in the curious that flock to scenes of tragedy."
		Adrian Turner Radio Times	"Few movies are as tough as this one (...) It's one of Hollywood's great masterpieces, filled with Wilder's caustic wit and Douglas's trademark intensity (…) Rating: ★★★★★ (out of 5)"
		Dave Kehr Chicago Reader	"Cold, lurid, and fascinating (...) Kirk Douglas stars, and his psychotic charm is perfect for the part"

Return to movie

We encourage you to check the reviews' original sources. Intellectual property rights of these reviews belong to their authors and/or the correspondent media from which they have been extracted. If you'd like to help us to add more reviews to your favorite movies, just send us a message.