Although Billy Wilder had previously delved into the shadowy side of human nature in masterpieces like Double Indemnity (1944) and The Lost Weekend (1945), he goes all out in Ace in the Hole (1951), unleashing one of the most cynical and darkest characters in cinematic history.
The film revolves around Chuck Tatum (Kirk Douglas), and the screenplay (co-written by Wilder, Lesser Samuels, and Walter Newman) meticulously outlines his character in the first three scenes, subsequently aiding in comprehending his actions throughout the film. In the opening scene, we learn that he is a disgruntled news reporter who has been fired from eleven prominent media outlets across the nation for libel, adultery, and heavy drinking, among other things. As a result, he finds himself in a small town in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he approaches Jacob Boot (Porter Hall), the publisher of the Sun-Bulletin newspaper, for a job. An extremely egotistical Tatum hopes that by breaking one big story, he will rub his success in the faces of the top city newspaper executives, forcing them to admit their error in firing him and reconsider his employment. Although Boot harbors skepticism regarding Tatum’s background, he eventually agrees to hire him.
The second scene depicts Tatum, who is bored and frustrated after a year of working at the Sun-Bulletin, owing to the sluggish pace of life in Albuquerque and the lack of sensational news stories for him to cover. His insatiable desire for story material drives him to go on a tirade in front of his coworkers, where he advises that one of them commit a trunk murder and the other to set off an explosion with a cigar so he will have something to write about. The third scene demonstrates that he is a professional expert in his craft but is also highly arrogant about it and considers everyone beneath him (he calls people around him “Fan”). In the scene, he and his colleague, Herbie (Robert Arthur), a young photographer, are en route to Los Barrios County to cover a ‘Rattlesnake Hunt Story’ about men smoking 1,000 rattlesnakes out of the underbrush. In response to Herbie’s suggestion to not sell the story short because it could turn out to be interesting, Tatum brushes him off and says that instead of 1000, give him 50 rattlesnakes loose in the city, which would cause panic everywhere, and even if 49 of them are caught, he will keep the last one in his desk drawer for the sheer purpose of extending the story for three more days. The scene gives you a sense of his sensational, story-sniffing abilities, natural talent for recognizing captivating narratives, and courage to conjure up below-the-belt stories seemingly out of thin air when required.
And that’s precisely what he ends up doing. While on the way to Los Barrios County, they stop at a gas station and learn that a local named Leo Minosa (Richard Benedict) has been trapped inside a collapsed cliff dwelling. Tatum realizes that he can use Leo’s plight for profit, which excites him, and he starts scheming his big story. As the film progresses, Tatum becomes increasingly greedy and blinded by his ambitions, leading him to commit inconceivable acts. He manipulates people around him to get along with his plan. Lorraine (Jan Sterling), Leo’s wife, decides to leave the place because she is tired of her marriage, but Tatum forces her to stay because she is crucial to Tatum’s scheme and the story he is presenting to the world. In addition, Tatum persuades a local sheriff, Gus Kretzer (Ray Teal), to go along with his plan and, in turn, promises him an election victory by reporting him positively about Leo’s rescue mission. On top of that, he persuades a construction contractor, Smollett (Frank Jacquet), to drill from above the cliff instead of shoring up the walls, extending Leo’s rescue effort from 12 hours to 6 days to lengthen coverage and keep the story going. Tatum seizes control of the entire situation, and the fact that everyone else follows suit, succumbing to his corruption and capitalizing on Leo’s misery, exemplifies the opportunistic nature of humans and their preparedness to exploit others to the greatest extent possible.
With the passing of time and the widespread popularity of Tatum’s story, the rescue site transforms into a carnival complete with vendors selling ice cream, candy, hot dogs, etc.; visitors are even charged a fee to enter the site. “Bad news sells best because the good news is no news,” Tatum smugly tells Herbie in one scene, and the film explores just that, with people flocking to the site in numbers after learning about a man trapped inside a cliff. This type of rotten journalism standard is a result of people’s insatiable desire for bad news, be it about religious intolerance, conspiracy theories, serial killers, or sexual predators. Billy Wilder foresaw it before anyone else, and despite facing initial criticism for its negative portrayal of journalists upon its release, the film remains highly relevant and accurate in its depiction to this day. Ultimately, Tatum’s obsession with fame and fortune leads him to push things to their limits; by the time he realizes the terrible repercussions of his actions, it is too late for him to do anything to prevent the tragedy from unfolding.
In a performance that ranks among his finest—up there with David Miller’s Lonely Are the Brave (1962)—Kirk Douglas plays a narcissistic and morally repugnant character, and he carries the entire film on his shoulders. Douglas brings a chilly, cruel side to his portrayal of Chuck Tatum, and in certain scenes—like when he tells the sheriff not to involve the other newspaperman because it is ‘his story’ or when he slaps Lorraine to get her to do what he says—the rage in his eyes is palpable and can come across as somewhat scary and intimidating. Additionally, the razor-sharp, mean, and sarcastic dialogues given to him undeniably fortify his persona and equip him with added sharpness. Despite Billy Wilder’s stellar resume and status as one of the greatest directors of all time, Ace in the Hole is sadly underappreciated and overlooked compared to his other works.
Ace in the Hole movie links: IMDB, Letterboxd
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