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He learns that poor Richard Benedict is trapped in a mine. Douglas goes in, befriends Benedict, and promises help. After calling in his story, he does bring in the sheriff, the doctor, and the engineer. But he's no friend of Leo, preferring to use him. Kirk makes a crooked deal with the sheriff (Ray Teal), promising to glorify him in his copy if other reporters are kept away from Benedict. Then, Kirk and Teal team up to compel the engineer, Frank Jaquet, to rescue Benedict in a round-about fashion that will keep him in the mine for days. The better for Kirk to pump up the story.
Kirk proves a bad influence on everyone. Teal was already corrupt, I suppose, as was Jan Sterling, who plays Benedict's femme fatale wife. But Kirk doesn't stop there, also turning impressionable young photographer Robert Arthur into a man eager for sudden wealth and glory. However, not everyone will come around just for money. Kirk's publisher, Porter Hall, becomes disgusted with him, and Benedict's parents, John Berkes and Frances Dominguez, are inconsolable. At least they make better copy that way.
How others will see it. An Ace in the Hole did poorly at the box office. This was partly due to film critics of the day, many of whom worked for newspapers that may not have cared for how the press was characterized in the film.
Today, those who worship at the cult of Billy Wilder (yes, that is too harsh, he made many fine films, although the best were made in the 1940s) may see the film as beyond criticism. And, admittedly, it is very good. Kirk Douglas is an ideal cast for the lead, both as the despicable character he is throughout most of the film, and (especially) as the martyr for truth and justice he becomes in the final reels. (This will be discussed in greater depth shortly).
There are other nice things to say about the movie. It demonstrates the line between news and entertainment had already been crossed by 1951, which may come as a surprise to those who know more about Walter Cronkite than William Randolph Hearst. It also shows that the most unethical are often the ones who go the farthest, who get ahead the quickest. This makes sense: if you don't advocate yourself, who will? Not everyone has a famous entertainer for a parent.
But problems do come with crossing the line. You make enemies, which leads to lawsuits, or worse. Sometimes you bet more than your hand is worth, which can lead to ruin. But by and large, self-promotion offers greater rewards than risks. Strike while the iron is hot, and don't ask the cow how she feels about it.
I also admit that Billy Wilder has good taste in music. The unknown Western swing band he hired to perform "We're Coming, Leo" is pretty good. He has a sense of humor, or at least irony, as well. The price of admission to see the Indian dwellings keeps going up as the crowd increases.
In fact, the only folks ambivalent about this movie are women over 45. According to imdb.com, they give the movie a 6.7, compared to its overall rating of 8.3. Possibly, those women dislike Jan Sterling's thoroughly cynical character. Hopefully, they are also suspicious of Kirk Douglas' change of heart.
How I felt about it. Which is, of course, my greatest complaint about the film. Douglas realizes that Benedict will die because of Douglas' shameful behavior. He then changes his tune. He tries to save Benedict, then he gets him a priest instead of writing highly profitable copy. Then he gets stabbed while attempting to strangle Sterling with her (nearly late) husband's birthday present. But instead of seeking medical attention that will save him, he gets Arthur his old job back, and drops dead in front of Porter Hall, the only noble businessman in the film.
Why does Douglas do all this when he had a sum equivalent to $100,000 (in 2008 dollars) in the bag? Was it guilt? Remorse? No, it is the Production Code, which will not allow jut-jawed Kirk to profit from his evil actions. He must be punished. The usual way to accomplish this is to have a hero take him down, such as the governor of New Mexico, who could have had him arrested and put on trial. But that would complicate the story, so Wilder has Douglas make a U-turn. Ironically, he becomes the seed of his own destruction when he is fully trying to make amends. Then again, that shouldn't include strangling someone for not wearing a cheap fur.