Ace in the Hole

While a really enjoyed Ace In The Hole, both the performances as well as the cinematic choices, there were a couple points in the plot that left me scratching my head. The first issue for me was the sensational nature that the story took on so quickly. There was no real explanation of how his story goes from the Albuquerque Sun-Bulletin to the national radar. All of a sudden there are just thousands of people at the cave, wanting to hear the news. It went from one family going to see the caves to thousands of people and carnival rides very quickly. It seemed like they could have used some sort of explanation there, although it’s a small thing. The bigger thing that bothered me in the plot was the reality that Douglas’ character was able to keep any other newspaper from being reporting on the story from up close. Besides, even if those reporters couldn’t get up close doesn’t mean they couldn’t still write the story. If there’s anything I’ve learned about newspapermen through these films it’s that they are willing to do whatever they can to get the story they want. So, for me it was hard to believe that he could just keep them at bay. That being said, I really enjoyed the film. I thought that Kurt Douglas was very good and the last shot where he falls down dead right at the camera lens is exceptional.