Ace in the Hole / The Big Carnival
1951
****
Director: Billy Wilder
Cast: Kirk Douglas, Jan Sterling, Robert Arthur, Porter Hall, Frank Cady, Richard Benedict, Ray Teal
Billy Wilder's captivating, misanthropic drama shows humanity at its worst. A tainted big city reporter, now working in remote New Mexico, learns of a man trapped in an ancient Indian cave, and decides to milk the story for all its worth. Wilder boldly takes the story to its cynical conclusion but then adds an unnecessary coda which provides instant justice. Kirk Douglas plays this depraved man with intensity that occasionally veers into overacting.
