Ace In The Hole

A relentlessly dark and scathing media satire that was received poorly at the time of its release, Ace in the Hole has since been recognised as an uncompromising masterpiece. It was Billy Wilder’s first film as a producer-director and boasts one of the great Kirk Douglas’s best performances. A cave collapse in New Mexico traps a man, and all eyes turn toward the tragedy including those of a washed-up newspaper reporter who sees the potential for a career boost, instigating a national media circus.

‘More than 50 years after the film’s release, when magazines compete to come up with the cattiest buzz terms and giddily celebrate the demise of celebrity relationships for buffo bucks, Ace in the Hole feels more relevant than ever.’ Ed Gonzalez, Slant Magazine

‘Shunned upon its release like a vomiting drunk at a dinner party, Billy Wilder’s 1951 follow-up to Sunset Blvd. became the prototype for the decade’s acidic media satires.’ David Fear, Time Out