By Ray Walton

Ace in the Hole (1951) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐

Frustrated former journalist Chuck Tatum now working for an Albuquerque newspaper exploits a story about trading post owner Leo Minosa trapped in a cave to rekindle Chuck’s career, but the story soon escalates into a media circus.

Watching this movie made me feel dirty. It is a pure exercise in how cruel humanity can be at times. IMDB’s description about it being a media circus works in a metaphorical sense as well as the literal. I am really amazed at Billy Wilder’s versatility as a director. This is the same director who would later give us Some Like it Hot. Unfortunately, like a lot of great movies, it flopped at the box office since movie goers were not prepared for stories like these. I can not wrap it around my head that Chuck would rather try to kick start his journalism career instead of helping a human get out of a cave. He is going out of his way to keep him in there as long as possible. And why were all of those people camping out at that cave site? Even the victim’s wife, there is so much apathy displayed in this movie. And yet, I watched this as a palette cleanser after the melodramas “Mogambo” and “Daisy Kenyon.

Ray Walton

Neurodivergent movie lover. Here to share reviews for horror and non horror movies that fall into the “Dark Cinema” category.