Billy Wilder has shown his ability to capture witty, and modern characters in
The Apartment, and in his earlier work he proves he was just as good at his directing style then with
Ace in the Hole. The difference is none of the characters are hugely likable except poor Leo who is the one trapped in a hole in a cave. Kirk Douglas continues his streak of being the unlikable guy who will do anything to gain just like his son, Michael Douglas, seems to do in his movies, and even the other characters are just as unlikable. It turns out to be a movie to see what people will do just for a little fame, and it's a sad look especially since people haven't changed much in the digital age.
Chuck Tatum is a former big time journalist looking for a job, and the only thing that seems open to taking him in is a small-town newspaper in Albuquerque. He is warned though that while working for them that they value the truth, and want him to uphold a good standard. It isn't long before Tatum finds himself something to get into though. On the way to a rattlesnake hunt, he spots some things to investigate happening. After dropping in he finds a man is stuck in a cave-in, and believes this is his big chance to revive his career. He begins exploiting the story by controlling it through the sheriff so no one else has access to the stuck man, Leo, and begins enlarging details. The situation grows so big even a circus arrives to entertain the people who have traveled for the story.
