Ace in the Hole (1951)
#72 in my 2007 movie challenge was Billy Wilder’s Ace in the Hole, supposedly a lost classic resurrected by the Criterion Collection. I can easily see why the movie bombed when it came out. It has Wilder’s hallmarks of dark humor and sarcasm, but in the end it’s too bitter. Kirk Douglas is a sleazy reporter who thinks he’s found his ticket out of small-town exile when he comes across a human interest story about a trapped treasure hunter. He and the other characters are almost beyond redemption, and their manipulation is queasy to watch. Smart and sharp, but too heartless for me to enjoy.