Spearheaded by an excellent Kirk Douglas, Ace in the Hole is an incisive and sardonic satire that, much like its opportunistic hero, never lets moral compunction get in the way of a good story.
Ace in the Hole is as vicious and irreverent as classic Hollywood ever got, bowing to nobody in its righteous cynicism.
Read full articleIn a lesser movie, Tatum would share our sympathy for the pathetic man. Here, he's on a parabola in that direction but wants it to intersect with the moment of his own greatest fame.
Read full articleA lurid pulp indictment of exploitation, opportunism, doctored intelligence, torture for profit, insatiable greed, and shady journalism.
Read full articleAs a diatribe against all that is worst in human nature, it has moments dipped in pure vitriol.
Read full articleAs dark and cynical as Wilder gets, Ace also features one of Douglas' very best performance. Nobody is sympathetic and nobody is likeable. That's why it's so great.
In Ace in the Hole aesthetics would have been served by intelligence.
Read full articleWilder and company offer up a biting exploration of unscrupulous predatory journalism and the insensitive lust to get ahead and be on top.
Read full articleToday, Ace in the Hole represents an artistic zenith in Wilder's career, where his skill as a filmmaker and thorough condemnation of the human race converge into biting social commentary that stands apart from his more commonly known hits.
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