The Ellroy Boys & Eddie of Car Crash (@edboy9k) talk Billy Wilder's masterful Ace in the Hole, a beautifully crafted and enthralling cinematic denunciation of corrupt media magnates, crooked newspapermen & mob morbidity. It's a sordid and cruel tale of a shameless reporter (Kirk Douglas) with a grim past looking to reinvent and redeem himself by any means necessary. When there's a cave-in at a local mine, that leaves a single man trapped, our "hero" sees an opportunity. He exploits and prolongs the man's pain to craft a hyper sensationalized tragedy that draws the attention of the nation. Wilder's film was considered so dark, upon release, that critics saw it simply as a celluloid slap in the face. Nonetheless, it is now regarded as one of the greatest American movies of all time. Ultimately, it was so impactful that Costa Gavras directed an especially clumsy and strange remake, Mad City, which takes some of the central themes of the original, but instead bases its narrative around a media man (Dustin Hoffman) exploiting a dim-witted security guard (John Travolta) who takes a museum hostage after being fired. This was a truly fun episode and a joy to record. Ace In The Hole is a must see if you care at all about movies. Also, if you care about good podcasts, check out Eddie's Car Crash, you won't be disappointed. Enjoy!