Billy Wilder was known for his cynical eye, but this movie's got to be the darkest and most cynical he ever made. Recently released on blu-ray, Ace in the Hole boasts a powerhouse performance from Kirk Douglas (did he ever give any other kind?) as the reporter sent to cover an accident where coal miners are trapped underground. You may be shocked at how far this movie is willing to go in terms of its darkness and lack of human empathy, especially over such a realistic incident (that still occurs) and the time in which it was made. But Wilder was always ahead of his time and could foresee the media circus that journalism would become even before such foreshadowing classics as Network. This was not a hit at the time (not hard to see why), but it holds up eerily today as more relevant than ever. Check it out.
Original Trailer from 1951:
