Ace in the Hole (1951)

[T.H.]

You mean end the movie earlier? Well, I think we have to see what becomes of Tatum. What happens to him after the Big Carnival goes tits up. Anything less than that would probably leave most audiences dissatisfied.

I think the best conclusion would be the Elmer Gantry one--after the Big Scheme falls apart, he has to pick himself up and start hustling all over again. He'd like to chuck it all and do something else, but the con/the big story is all he knows. Even when the big story is pretty small. So Tatum finally goes to work for The National Enquirer, and lives happily ever after.

My scenario is basically the figurative death of a character with a god complex. My personal interpretation is that the character is broken down, but that's why this is a great film. I don't think the same discussion could be had for Stalag 17 or Witness For the Prosecution.

[drinkanddestroy]

My scenario is basically the figurative death of a character with a god complex. My personal interpretation is that the character is broken down, but that's why this is a great film. I don't think the same discussion could be had for Stalag 17 or Witness For the Prosecution.

are you in some way agreeing with my earlier points here, that Tatum is "dead inside" once his plan falls apart; his physical death is a manifestation of the fact that he is figuratively dead, as a man whose a) chance for his "big break" has fallen apart; and b) who no one wants to listen to. a reporter's job is to report the story (or in Tatum's case, to make the story as well ) But once nobody wants to listen to him, his life is worthless. Cuz of those 2 reasons, he is already dead inside, so the physical death is appropriate (and if you wanna get mystical about it, it's a manifestation of his being dead figuratively (or emotionally or spiritually, however you wanna put it).

[T.H.]

are you in some way agreeing with my earlier points here, that Tatum is "dead inside" once his plan falls apart; his physical death is a manifestation of the fact that he is figuratively dead, as a man whose a) chance for his "big break" has fallen apart; and b) who no one wants to listen to. a reporter's job is to report the story (or in Tatum's case, to make the story as well ) But once nobody wants to listen to him, his life is worthless. Cuz of those 2 reasons, he is already dead inside, so the physical death is appropriate (and if you wanna get mystical about it, it's a manifestation of his being dead figuratively (or emotionally or spiritually, however you wanna put it).

It cheapens the aftermath though. The character should be in a vulnerable position, among those he thought he controlled/manipulated. Having him stabbed to death rids him of his fate imo

[drinkanddestroy]

okay, I just watched it again.

I agree with T.H. and dj on the point that Tatum does actually feel bad toward the end. I was wrong about that. I think it starts the moment Leo's mom comes into to the room bringing new candles, and you see the look on Tatum's face. And then he spends all night with Leo instead of writing his story, getting fired. So yes, he does feel bad about what he did to Leo.

However, IMO this is plausible. I still think it is done well and fits the movie. Tatum was never a totally evil dude. He is an unethical reporter willing to create a story. But he never dreams it would end like this, with Leo dying. There are many movies out there about people who did a bad thing but it got way out of hand and then they feel bad about it the consequences.

Tatum is not a good guy. But he is not capable of murder either. It's not like he breaks down crying, but yes, he sees how much Leo is grateful toward him, and how good a man Leo is, and what he did to him, and yes, he feels bad about it. Is that so hard to believe? Just because he is an unethical reporter, does that mean he can't feel any guilt for killing a man? If you forget about classic "noir characters" and just take this story on its own, it works very well. Tatum figured he'd milk the story for a few extra days and then Leone would get out and all would live happily ever after, Leo with his family and Tatum with a big paper in New York. But now his actions have gotten away from him. he is an unethical reporter, but not a killer. I think it works very well.

As far as dj's question of why he doesn't see a doctor: Herby (the kid who has been acting as Tatum's assistant) does offer to bring him to see a doctor, but Tatum refuses. He says something like "we have things to do." He is an ambitious, arrogant SOB, and when he has a story to work on, he wants to work on it, being a tough guy and not seeing a doctor. That is totally plausible.

At the end, Tatum has lost everything. Lost his big break, lost his job, and lost the new BIG STORY he wanted to sell of how he had orchestrated this whole thing. So yeah, he is finished. Physically and spiritually, he is gone.

A great movie  

[drinkanddestroy]

just watched Disc 2, with all the special features. If you are a Wilder fan, I recommend that you watch this disc (avaialble on Netflix), there are some fantastic interviews with him about his career.

one of the features is an audio interview with one of the writers named Walter Newman, and he discusses how the death of Tatum was mandated by the Hays Code. Bad guys had to die. So for any of y'all who don't like that ending, I guess you can't blame the writing. Another feature there is an interview with Kirk Douglas. He discusses how, Tatum is not the most terrible guy in the world (as I have argued in this thread); he is an unethical guy who wants to get ahead, but he is certainly not the worst guy in the world.
and he never intended for anyone to die. So I think Tatum's actions and emotions make sense.

[dave jenkins]

It's interesting to compare the film to the true account it's based on: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floyd_Collins

[drinkanddestroy]

It's interesting to compare the film to the true account it's based on: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floyd_Collins

In the movie, Tatum explicitly refers to this story