Director: Billy Wilder Writer: Billy Wilder Cast: Jack Lemmon, Walter Mathau, Judi West
A crooked lawyer persuades his brother-in-law to feign a serious injury to extract money from the insurance company.
This was the first on-screen collaboration between Lemmon and Mathau. Its a very good comedy film without a hollywood ending. The dialogues are witty and delivered in an old school way.
Director: Billy Wilder Writers: Agatha Christie, Billy Wilder, Larry Marcus, Harry Kurnitz Cast: Charles Laughton, Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich
This is an adaptation of Agatha Christie's tale of a man on trial for murder: a trial featuring surprise after surprise.
Charles Laughton's performance as the barrister is wonderful. Towards the end there are too many twists with the usual hollywoodish ending where crime never pays. Still its certainly worth a watch.
Director: Billy Wilder Writers: Billy Wilder, I.A.L.Diamond Cast: Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray
A man tries to rise in his company by letting its executives use his apartment for trysts, but complications and a romance of his own ensue.
Stunning performances by the all three leads and especially Jack Lemmon. Its one of the best romantic comedy of all time and much of the humor is dark. It has a hollywoodish ending but I was rooting for it to happen. Kevin Spacey dedicated his best actor academy award for 'American Beauty' to Jack Lemmon.
Director: Billy Wilder Writers: Billy Wilder, Lesser Samuels, Walter Newman Cast: Kirk Douglas, Jan Sterling, Robert Arthur
Kirk Douglas stars as a frustrated bug city journalist now stuck working for an Albuqueurque newspaper exploits a story about a man trapped in a cave to re-jump start his career, but the situation quickly escalates into an out-of-control circus.
The films that deal with media has been some of my favorite films. These include 'The Insider', 'Network', 'All the President's men'. Ace in the hole is a masterpiece that gets better with the age as the reality catches up with its prophecy. Its all the more relevant now in these times of NOTW phone hacking scandal and all.
The film was both a critical and commercial failure but its no surprise as it was far ahead of its time.
